Re-writeable optical card reader/writer unit using ink dots for data storage

ABSTRACT

An information storage apparatus is disclosed for storing information on inserted cards the apparatus comprising a sensing means for sensing printed patterns on the surface stored on the card, the patterns arranged in a predetermined number of possible active areas of the card; a decoding means for decoding the sensed printed patterns into corresponding data; a printing means for printing dot patterns on the card in at least one of the active areas; a positioning means for positioning the sensed card at known locations relative to the sensing means and the printing means; wherein the sensing means is adapted to sense the printed patterns in a current active printed area of the card, the decoding means is adapted to decode the sensed printed patterns into corresponding current data and, when the current data requires updating, the printing means is adapted to print the updated current data at a new one of the active areas after activation of the positioning means for correctly position the card. The printing means can comprise an ink jet printer device having a card width print head able to print a line width of the card at a time. The positioning means can comprise a series of pinch rollers to pinch the card and control the movement of the card. The printed patterns can be laid out in a fault tolerant manner, for example, using Reed--Solomon decoding, and the decoding means includes a suitable decoder for the fault tolerant pattern.

CROSS REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The following co-pending U.S. patent applications, identified by their U.S. patent application serial numbers (USSN), were filed simultaneously to the present application on Jul. 10, 1998, and are hereby incorporated by cross-reference.

    __________________________________________________________________________     USSN  DOCKET                                                                              TITLE                                                               __________________________________________________________________________     09/113,060                                                                           ART01                                                                               Digital Instant Printing Camera with Image Processing                          Capability                                                          09/113,070                                                                           ART02                                                                               Image Transformation Means Including User Interface                 09/113,073                                                                           ART03                                                                               Digital Camera System with Integral Print Roll                      09/112,748                                                                           ART04                                                                               Camera System Including Digital Audio Message Recording on                     Photographs                                                         09/112,747                                                                           ART06                                                                               Orientation Detection for Digital Cameras                           09/112,776                                                                           ART07                                                                               Print Roll Having an Ink Return Tray                                09/112,750                                                                           ART08                                                                               Utilising Autofocus Information for Image Processing in a                      Digital Camera                                                      09/112,746                                                                           ART09                                                                               Utilising Eye Detection Methods for Image Processing in a                      Digital Image Camera                                                09/112,743                                                                           ART10                                                                               Utilising Exposure Information for Image Processing in a                       Digital Camera                                                      09/112,742                                                                           ART11                                                                               Utilising Flash Information for Image Processing in a Digital                  Camera                                                              09/112,741                                                                           ART12                                                                               Method of Printing on the Back of Output Photo Image in a                      Digital Instant Camera                                              09/112,740                                                                           ART13                                                                               De-curling Print Media in a Digital Instant Printing Camera         09/112,739                                                                           ART15                                                                               Psuedo-3D Stereoscopic Images & Output Device                       09/113,053                                                                           ART16                                                                               Print Media Roll and Ink Replaceable Cartridge                      09/112,738                                                                           ART17                                                                               Psuedo-3D Stereoscopic Print Medium                                 09/113,067                                                                           ART18                                                                               Preprinted Print Rolls for use in an Image Processing Device        09/113,063                                                                           ART19                                                                               Method and Apparatus for Information Storage in a Portable                     Print Roll                                                          09/113,069                                                                           ART20                                                                               Authentication System for Camera Print Rolls                        09/112,744                                                                           ART21                                                                               Anisotropic Rigidity to Reduce Curl in Rolled Media                 09/113,058                                                                           ART22                                                                               Prints Remaining Indicator for Camera with Variable Length                     Print Capability                                                    09/112,777                                                                           ART24                                                                               Producing Automatic "Painting" Effects in Images                    09/113,224                                                                           ART25                                                                               Digital Image Warping System                                        09/112,804                                                                           ART26                                                                               Digital Image Region Detection Method and Apparatus                 09/112,805                                                                           ART27                                                                               Brush Stroke Palette Feedback Method for Automatic Digital                     "Painting" Effects                                                  09/113,072                                                                           ART28                                                                               Data Distribution Method and Apparatus                              09/112,785                                                                           ART29                                                                               Dot Center Tracking in Optical Storage Systems using Ink Dots       09/112,797                                                                           ART30                                                                               Utilizing of Brush Stroking Techniques in the Generation of                    Computer Images                                                     09/112,796                                                                           ART31                                                                               Image Production Utilizing Text Editing Including Complex                      Character Sets                                                      09/113,071                                                                           ART32                                                                               Camera System with Computer Language Interpreter                    09/112,824                                                                           ART33                                                                               High Quality Image Copier with Exact Reproduction of Digitally                 Halftoned Images                                                    09/113,090                                                                           ART34                                                                               A Digital Camera System having Motion Deblurring Means              09/112,823                                                                           ART38                                                                               Miniature Color Printer using Ink and Paper Cartridges              09/113,222                                                                           ART39                                                                               Digital Information Distribution by Means of Printed Cards          09/112,786                                                                           ART42                                                                               Digital Camera System Containing a VLIW Vector Processor            09/113,051                                                                           ART43                                                                               Target Detection for Dot Region Alignment in Optical Storage                   Systems using Ink Dots                                              09/112,782                                                                           ART44                                                                               Fault Tolerant Dot Detection in Optical Storage Systems using                  Ink Dots                                                            09/113,056                                                                           ART45                                                                               Dot Adjacency Compensation in Optical Storage Systems using                    Ink Dots                                                            09/113,059                                                                           ART46                                                                               Adaptive Tracking of Dots in Optical Storage Systems using Ink                 Dots                                                                09/113,091                                                                           ART47                                                                               Bump Map Compositing for Simulated Digital Painting Effects         09/112,753                                                                           ART48                                                                               Production of Artistic Effects in Images Utilising Restricted                  Gamut Spaces                                                        09/113,055                                                                           ART50                                                                               Utilisation of Image Tiling Effects in Photographs                  09/113,057                                                                           ART51                                                                               Utilisation of Image Texture Mapping in Photographs                 09/113,054                                                                           ART52                                                                               Utilisation of Image Illumination Effects in Photographs            09/112,752                                                                           ART53                                                                               Garment Design and Fabric Printing System Utilizing Digitally                  Encoded Design Cards                                                09/112,759                                                                           ART54                                                                               Custom Garment Design and Fabric Printing System                    09/112,757                                                                           ART56                                                                               Cascading Image Modification using Multiple Digital Cameras                    Incorporating Image Processing                                      09/112,758                                                                           ART57                                                                               Binocular Glasses with an Integral Printer Device                   09/113,107                                                                           ART58                                                                               Reader to Decode Sound and Play Sound Encoded on Photographs        09/112,829                                                                           ART59                                                                               Data Addition to Optical Storage Cards using Ink Dots               09/112,792                                                                           ART60                                                                               Vending Machine for the Production of Customised Photos and                    Artcards                                                            09/112,791                                                                           ART61                                                                               A Re-Writeable Optical Card Reader/Writer Unit using Ink Dots                  for Data Storage                                                    09/112,790                                                                           ART62                                                                               Artcard for the Control of the Operation of a Camera Device         09/112,789                                                                           ART63                                                                               Artcard for the Administration of the Operation of a Camera                    Device                                                              09/112,788                                                                           ART64                                                                               Magnetic Recordable Media for Photographic Prints                   09/112,795                                                                           ART65                                                                               Digital Photograph Storage using Ink Jet Printing                   09/112,749                                                                           ART66                                                                               System for High Volume Printing of Optical Storage Cards Using                 Ink Dots                                                            09/112,784                                                                           ART68                                                                               Encoded Data Card Reading System                                    09/112,783                                                                           ART69                                                                               Ink and Media Cartridge with Axial Ink Chambers                     09/112,763                                                                           Auth02                                                                              Circuit for Protecting Chips Against IDD Fluctuation Attacks        09/112,762                                                                           Auth03                                                                              Method for Implementing Non-Flashing CMOS                           09/112,737                                                                           Auth04                                                                              Method for Protecting On-Chip Memory (Flash and RAM)                09/112,761                                                                           Auth05                                                                              Method for Making a Chip Tamper-Resistant                           09/113,223                                                                           Auth06                                                                              A system for authenticating physical objects                        09/112,781                                                                           DOT01                                                                               Data Distribution Mechanism in the form of Ink Dots on Cards        09/113,052                                                                           DOT02                                                                               Business Card Incorporating Optical Data Storage as Ink Dots        09/112,834                                                                           Fluid01                                                                             Fluid Supply Mechanism                                              09/113,103                                                                           Fluid02                                                                             Fluid Supply Mechanism                                              09/113,101                                                                           Fluid03                                                                             Replaceable Pagewidth Ink jet Print Head                            09/112,751                                                                           IJ01 Radiant Plunger Electromagnetic Ink Jet Printing Mechanism          09/112,787                                                                           IJ02 Electrostatic Ink Jet Printing Mechanism                            09/112,802                                                                           IJ03 Planar Thermoelastic Bend Actuator Ink Jet Printing Mechanism       09/112,803                                                                           IJ04 Stacked Electrostatic Ink Jet Printing Mechanism                    09/113,097                                                                           IJ05 Reverse Spring Lever Ink Jet Printing Mechanism                     09/113,099                                                                           IJ06 Paddle Type Ink Jet Printing Mechanism                              09/113,084                                                                           IJ07 Permanent Magnet Electromagnetic Ink Jet Printing Mechanism         09/113,066                                                                           IJ08 Planar Swing Grill Electromagnetic Ink Jet Printing Mechanism       09/112,778                                                                           IJ09 Pump Action Refill Ink Jet Printing Mechanism                       09/112,779                                                                           IJ10 Pulsed Magnetic Field Ink Jet Printing Mechanism                    09/113,077                                                                           IJ11 Two Plate Reverse Firing Electromagnetic Ink Jet Printing                      Mechanism                                                           09/113,061                                                                           IJ12 Linear Stepper Actuator Ink Jet Printing Mechanism                  09/112,818                                                                           IJ13 Gear Driven Shutter Ink Jet Printing Mechanism                      09/112,816                                                                           IJ14 Tapered Magnetic Pole Electromagnetic Ink Jet Printing                         Mechanism                                                           09/112,772                                                                           IJ15 Linear Spring Electromagnetic Grill Ink Jet Printing                           Mechanism                                                           09/112,819                                                                           IJ16 Lorenz Diaphragm Electromagnetic Ink Jet Printing Mechanism         09/112,815                                                                           IJ17 PTFE Surface Shooting Shuttered Oscillating Pressure Ink Jet                   Printing Mechanism                                                  09/113,096                                                                           IJ18 Buckle Grill Oscillating Pressure Ink Jet Printing Mechanism        09/113,068                                                                           IJ19 Shutter Based Ink Jet Printing Mechanism                            09/113,095                                                                           IJ20 Curling Calyx Thermoelastic Ink Jet Printing Mechanism              09/112,808                                                                           IJ21 Thermal Actuated Ink Jet Printing Mechanism                         09/112,809                                                                           IJ22 Iris Motion Ink Jet Printing Mechanism                              09/112,780                                                                           IJ23 Direct Firing Thermal Bend Actuator Ink Jet Printing                           Mechanism                                                           09/113,083                                                                           IJ24 Conductive PTFE Bend Actuator Vented Ink Jet Printing                          Mechanism                                                           09/113,121                                                                           IJ25 Magnetostrictive Ink Jet Printing Mechanism                         09/113,122                                                                           IJ26 Shape Memory Alloy Ink Jet Printing Mechanism                       09/112,793                                                                           IJ27 Buckle Plate Ink Jet Printing Mechanism                             09/112,794                                                                           IJ28 Thermal Elastic Rotary Impellar Ink Jet Printing Mechanism          09/113,128                                                                           IJ29 Thermoelastic Bend Actuator Ink Jet Printing Mechanism              09/113,127                                                                           IJ30 Thermoelastic Bend Actuator Using PTFE Corrugated Heater Ink                   Jet Printing Mechanism                                              09/112,756                                                                           IJ31 Bend Actuator Direct Ink Supply Ink Jet Printing Mechanism          09/112,755                                                                           IJ32 High Young's Modulus Thermoelastic Ink Jet Printing Mechanism       09/112,754                                                                           IJ33 Thermally Actuated Slotted Chamber Wall Ink Jet Printing                       Mechanism                                                           09/112,811                                                                           IJ34 Ink Jet Printer having a Thermal Actuator Comprising an                        External Coil Spring                                                09/112,812                                                                           IJ35 Trough Container Ink Jet Printing Mechanism with Paddle             09/112,813                                                                           IJ36 Dual Chamber Single Actuator Ink Jet Printing Mechanism             09/112,814                                                                           IJ37 Dual Nozzle Single Horizontal Fulcrum Actuator Ink Jet                         Printing Mechanism                                                  09/112,764                                                                           IJ38 Dual Nozzle Single Horizontal Actuator Ink Jet Printing                        Mechanism                                                           09/112,765                                                                           IJ39 Single Bend Actuator Cupped Paddle Ink Jet Printing Mechanism       09/112,767                                                                           IJ40 Thermally Actuated Ink Jet Printing Mechanism having a Series                  of Thermal Actuator Units                                           09/112,768                                                                           IJ41 Thermally Actuated Ink Jet Printing Mechanism including a                      Tapered Heater Element                                              09/112,807                                                                           IJ42 Radial Back-Curling Thermoelastic Ink Jet Printing Mechanism        09/112,806                                                                           IJ43 Inverted Radial Back-Curling Thermoelastic Ink Jet Printing                    Mechanism                                                           09/112,820                                                                           IJ44 Surface Bend Actuator Vented Ink Supply Ink Jet Printing                       Mechanism                                                           09/112,821                                                                           IJ45 A Solenoid Actuated Magnetic Plate Ink Jet Printing Mechanism       09/112,822                                                                           IJM01                                                                               Method of Manufacture of a Radiant Plunger Electromagnetic Ink                 Jet Printer                                                         09/112,825                                                                           IJM02                                                                               Method of Manufacture of an Electrostatic Ink Jet Printer           09/112,826                                                                           IJM03                                                                               Method of Manufacture of a Planar Thermoelastic Bend Actuator                  Ink Jet Printer                                                     09/112,827                                                                           IJM04                                                                               Method of Manufacture of a Stacked Electrostatic Ink Jet                       Printer                                                             09/112,828                                                                           IJM05                                                                               A Method of Manufacture of a Reverse Spring Lever Ink Jet                      Printer                                                             09/113,111                                                                           IJM06                                                                               A Method of Manufacture of a Paddle Type Ink Jet Printer            09/113,108                                                                           IJM07                                                                               Method of Manufacture of a Permanent Magnet Electromagnetic                    Ink Jet Printer                                                     09/113,109                                                                           IJM08                                                                               Method of Manufacture of a Planar Swing Grill Electromagnetic                  Ink Jet Printer                                                     09/113,123                                                                           IJM09                                                                               A Method of Manufacture of a Pump Action Refill Ink Jet                        Printer                                                             09/113,114                                                                           IJM10                                                                               Method of Manufacture of a Pulsed Magnetic Field Ink Jet                       Printer                                                             09/113,115                                                                           IJM11                                                                               Method of Manufacture of a Two Plate Reverse Firing                            Electromagnetic Ink Jet Printer                                     09/113,129                                                                           IJM12                                                                               Method of Manufacture of a Linear Stepper Actuator Ink Jet                     Printer                                                             09/113,124                                                                           IJM13                                                                               Method of Manufacture of a Gear Driven Shutter Ink Jet                         Printer                                                             09/113,125                                                                           IJM14                                                                               A Method of Manufacture of a Tapered Magnetic Pole                             Electromagnetic Ink Jet Printer                                     09/113,126                                                                           IJM15                                                                               A Method of Manufacture of a Linear Spring Electromagnetic                     Grill Ink Jet Printer                                               09/113,119                                                                           IJM16                                                                               Method of Manufacture of a Lorenz Diaphragm Electromagnetic                    Ink Jet Printer                                                     09/113,120                                                                           IJM17                                                                               A Method of Manufacture of a PTFE Surface Shooting Shuttered                   Oscillating Pressure Ink Jet Printer                                09/113,221                                                                           IJM18                                                                               Method of Manufacture of a Buckle Strip Grill Oscillating                      Pressure Ink Jet Printer                                            09/113,116                                                                           IJM19                                                                               Method of Manufacture of a Shutter Based Ink Jet Printer            09/113,118                                                                           IJM20                                                                               Method of Manufacture of a Curling Calyx Thermoelastic Ink Jet                 Printer                                                             09/113,117                                                                           IJM21                                                                               A Method of Manufacture of a Thermal Actuated Ink Jet Printer       09/113,113                                                                           IJM22                                                                               Method of Manufacture of an Iris Motion Ink Jet Printer             09/113,130                                                                           IJM23                                                                               A Method of Manufacturing of a Direct Firing Thermal Bend                      Actuator Ink Jet Printer                                            09/113,110                                                                           IJM24                                                                               Method of Manufacture of a Conductive PTFE Bend Actuator                       Vented Ink Jet Printer                                              09/113,112                                                                           IJM25                                                                               A Method of Manufacture of a Magnetostrictive Ink Jet Printer       09/113,087                                                                           IJM26                                                                               Method of Manufacture of a Shape Memory Alloy Ink Jet Printer       09/113,074                                                                           IJM27                                                                               Method of Manufacture of Buckle Plate Ink Jet Printer               09/113,089                                                                           IJM28                                                                               Method of Manufacture of a Thermal Elastic Rotary Impeller Ink                 Jet Printer                                                         09/113,088                                                                           IJM29                                                                               Method of Manufacture of a Thermoelastic Bend Actuator Ink Jet                 Printer                                                             09/112,771                                                                           IJM30                                                                               Method of Manufacture of a Thermoelastic Bend Actuator Using                   PTFE and Corrugated Copper Ink Jet Printer                          09/112,769                                                                           IJM31                                                                               Method of Manufacture of a Bend Actuator Direct Ink Supply Ink                 Jet Printer                                                         09/112,770                                                                           IJM32                                                                               Method of Manufacture of a High Young's Modulus Thermoelastic                  Ink Jet Printer                                                     09/112,817                                                                           IJM33                                                                               Method of Manufacture of a Thermally Actuated Slotted Chamber                  Wall Ink Jet Printer                                                09/113,076                                                                           IJM34                                                                               Method of Manufacture of an Ink Jet Printer Having a Thermal                   Actuator Comprising an External Coil Spring                         09/112,798                                                                           IJM35                                                                               Method of Manufacture of an Image Creation Apparatus                09/112,801                                                                           IJM36                                                                               A Method of Manufacture of a Dual Chamber Single Vertical                      Actuator Ink Jet Printer                                            09/112,800                                                                           IJM37                                                                               Dual Nozzle Single Horizontal Fulcrum Actuator Ink Jet              09/112,799                                                                           IJM38                                                                               Method of Manufacture of a Dual Nozzle Single Horizontal                       Actuator Ink Jet Printer                                            09/113,098                                                                           IJM39                                                                               Single Bend Actuator Cupped Paddle Ink Jet Printing Device          09/112,833                                                                           IJM40                                                                               Method of Manufacture of a Thermally Actuated Ink Jet Printer                  having a Series of Thermal Actuator Units                           09/112,832                                                                           IJM41                                                                               A Method of Manufacture of a Thermally Actuated Ink Jet                        including a Tapered Heater Element                                  09/112,831                                                                           IJM42                                                                               Method of Manufacture of a Radial Back-Curling Thermoelastic                   Ink Jet Printer                                                     09/112,830                                                                           IJM43                                                                               Method of Manufacture of an Inverted Radial Back-Curling                       Thermoelastic Ink Jet                                               09/112,836                                                                           IJM44                                                                               Method of Manufacture of a Surface Bend Actuator Vented Ink                    Supply Ink Jet Printer                                              09/112,835                                                                           IJM45                                                                               Method of Manufacture of a Solenoid Actuated Magnetic Plate                    Ink Jet Printer                                                     09/113,102                                                                           IR01 A Low Cost Disposable Digital Instant Printing Camera System        09/113,106                                                                           IR02 A Compact Form Storage of Replenishable Portions of a Print On                 Demand Camera System                                                09/113,105                                                                           IR04 Print Head Ink Supply System                                        09/113,104                                                                           IR05 Integrated Camera Circuit including Image Sensor, Image                        Processing, and Printer Drive Circuits                              09/112,810                                                                           IR06 Reusable Camera System which Authenticates a Refill Station         09/112,766                                                                           IR10 Recycling of Multi-Use Digital Instant Printing Camera                         Systems                                                             09/113,085                                                                           IR12 Camera Picture Printing User Interface and Method                   09/113,086                                                                           IR13 Method Integrating the Electronic Components of a Digital                      Printing Camera System                                              09/113,094                                                                           IR14 Method of Color Correction in a Digital Camera System               09/112,760                                                                           IR16 A Power Drive System for a Print on Demand Digital Camera                      System                                                              09/112.773                                                                           IR17 Paper Guide System in a Print on Demand Digital Camera System       09/112,774                                                                           IR18 Guillotine System in a Print on Demand Digital Camera System        09/112,775                                                                           IR19 Ink jet Print Head Recapping Mechanism                              09/112,745                                                                           IR20 Apparatus for Automated Photo Counting in a Print on Demand                    Digital Camera System                                               09/113,092                                                                           IR21 On Chip Clocking System for a Camera Device                         09/113,100                                                                           MEMS02                                                                              Corrugated MEMS Heater Structure                                    09/113,093                                                                           MEMS03                                                                              Utilising Venting in a MEMS Liquid Pumping System                   09/113,062                                                                           MEMS04                                                                              Clamping of Layers in a Multi-Layer MEMS Actuator                   09/113,064                                                                           MEMS05                                                                              Utilisation of Quantum Wires in MEMS Actuators                      09/113,082                                                                           MEMS06                                                                              Grill Structure for Filtering Fluids                                09/113,081                                                                           MEMS07                                                                              Thermal Actuator                                                    09/113,080                                                                           MEMS09                                                                              Utilisation of Air Bubbles in a MEMS Pumping System                 09/113.079                                                                           MEMS10                                                                              Micro Cilia Array and Use Thereof                                   09/113,065                                                                           MEMS11                                                                              Utilisation of Barrier Layers in the Construction of a Micro                   Electro Mechanical System                                           09/113,078                                                                           MEMS12                                                                              Lever Arrangement for a Micro-Electro Mechanical System             09/113,075                                                                           MEMS13                                                                              Method of TAB Alignment in an Integrated Circuit Type               __________________________________________________________________________                Device                                                         

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH FOR DEVELOPMENT

Not applicable.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to the storage of information on print media and in particular discloses a Write Once Read Many Times (WORM) Drive.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Many forms of condensed information storage are well known. For example, in the field of computer devices, it is common to utilize magnetic disc drives which can be of a fixed or portable nature. In respect of portable discs, "Floppy Discs", "Zip Discs", and other forms of portable magnetic storage media have to achieve to date a large degree of acceptance in the market place.

Another form of portable storage is the compact disc "CD" which utilizes a series of elongated pits along a spiral track which is read by a laser beam device. The utilization of CD's provides for an extremely low cost form of storage. However, the technologies involved are quite complex and the use of rewritable CD type devices is extremely limited.

Other forms of storage include magnetic cards, often utilized for credit cards or the like. These cards normally have a magnetic strip on the back for recording information which is of relevance to the card user. Recently, the convenience of magnetic cards has been extended in the form of SmartCard technology which includes incorporation of integrated circuit type devices on to the card. Unfortunately, the cost of such devices is often high and the complexity of the technology utilized can also be significant.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to provide an alternative form of information storage which includes a high level of versatility with a low cost of distribution and production.

In accordance with a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an information storage apparatus for storing information on inserted cards the apparatus comprising a sensing means for sensing printed patterns on the surface stored on the card, the patterns arranged in a predetermined number of possible active areas of the card; a decoding means for decoding the sensed printed patterns into corresponding data; a printing means for printing dot patterns on the card in at least one of the active areas; a positioning means for positioning the sensed card at known locations relative to the sensing means and the printing means; wherein the sensing means is adapted to sense the printed patterns in a current active printed area of the card, the decoding means is adapted to decode the sensed printed patterns into corresponding current data and, when the current data requires updating, the printing means is adapted to print the updated current data at a new one of the active areas after activation of the positioning means for correctly position the card.

Preferably, the printing means comprises an ink jet printer device having a card width print head able to print a line width of the card at a time. The positioning means, can comprise a series of pinch rollers to pinch the card and control the movement of the card. The printed patterns can be laid out in a fault tolerant manner, for example, using Reed--Solomon decoding, and the decoding means includes a suitable decoder for the fault tolerant pattern.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Notwithstanding any other forms which may fall within the scope of the present invention, preferred forms of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates a card having an array of written data areas;

FIG. 2 illustrates a card having only a limited number of written data

FIG. 3 illustrates the structure of a data area;

FIG. 4 illustrates the structure of a target;

FIG. 5 illustrates an apparatus of the preferred embodiment;

FIG. 6 illustrates a closer view of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 illustrates the process of inserting a card into a reader device.

FIG. 8 illustrates the process of ejecting a card;

FIG. 9 illustrates the process of writing a data area on a card; and

FIG. 10 is a schematic of the architecture of a card reader.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED AND OTHER EMBODIMENTS

The preferred embodiment is preferable implemented through a suitable adaptation of the technologies disclosed in Australian Provisional Patent Application No. P07991 entitled "Image Processing Method and Apparatus (Art 01)" filed Jul. 15, 1997 with a large number of associated applications in addition to Australian Provisional patent Application No. PO 8505 entitled "Image Processing Method and Apparatus (Art 01a)" filed Aug. 11, 1997, again with a number of associated applications.

The aforementioned patent specification discloses a camera system, hereinafter known as an "Artcam" type camera, wherein sensed images can be directly printed out by an Artcam portable camera unit. Further, the aforementioned specification discloses means and methods for performing various manipulations on images captured by the camera sensing device leading to the production of various effects in any output image. The manipulations are disclosed to be highly flexible in nature and can be implemented through the insertion into the Artcam of cards having encoded thereon various instructions for the manipulation of images, the cards hereinafter being known as Artcards. The Artcam further has significant onboard processing power by an Artcam Central Processor unit (ACP) which is interconnected to a memory device for the storage of important data and images.

In the preferred embodiment, the technologies as disclosed in the aforementioned patent specification are utilized to provide fault tolerant data arrays on a card surface with each new data array being updated by means of rewriting the data in another fault tolerant array.

Turning initially to FIG. 1, there is shown a card 1 after it has been fully utilized in the writing of data arrays, eg. 2 written on the surface thereof. Each of the data arrays, eg. 2 can encode approximately 20 KB of information with an array of 64 data blocks to been shown on the surface of card 1. Of course, other arrangements are possible having either less or greater amounts of data written within each data block, eg. 2. Initially, the card 1 has no data blocks written on it. Alternatively, perhaps a single initialisation data block is written on the surface of the card.

Turning now to FIG. 2, there is illustrated a second card 5 which has been "updated" twelve times with a current data block 6 being the final data block written. Hence, each card, eg. 5 is utilized a number of times such that it can be updated in accordance with the number of data blocks provided in the fully determined format of the card 5.

Turning now to FIG. 3, there is illustrated the structure of a single data block, eg. 8 which can comprise a scale down version of the "Artcam" technology as utilized in the aforementioned patent specification. The data block 8 consists of a data area 9 which contains an array of printed dots having a one pixel wide border in addition to a series of clock marks along the border (not shown). Along the edges of the data area 9 are targets 10 which are provided so as to assist in locating and reading the data area 9. The structure of each target 10 can be as illustrated in FIG. 4 with a large black area surrounding a single white dot. Of course, other structure formats may be possible. The targets 10 are further provided so as to accurately locate the data area 9. The targets 10 are provided so that they may be accurately sensed and accurate position information derived. For a full discussion of the utilization of the target type 10, reference is made to the aforementioned patent specification.

Turning now to FIG. 5, there is illustrated a card reading and writing apparatus 20 with FIG. 6 showing an enlargement of the essential parts of FIG. 5. The apparatus 20 includes a slot 21 for the insertion of a card 22 on which is to be printed information. A number of pinch rollers, eg. 23, 24 control the movement of the card across a printhead 25 and a linear CCD scanner 26. The scanner 26 is responsible for scanning the data passing underneath it. In FIG. 6, there is illustrated an enlarged view of the arrangement of the printhead 25 and CCD scanner 26 with respect to the inserted card 22.

Turning now to FIG. 7, there is illustrated schematically the arrangement for insertion of the card 22 into the CCD reader such that the CCD reader operates to forward the card 22 past the CCD reader 26 so that the information stored on the card 22 can be decoded by an Artcam central processor unit attached to the CCD reader 26. When it is desired to eject the card 22 from the card reader, a determination is made whether it is necessary to write a new block to the card. The new block's location will be known from the previously scanned CCD data. The ejection of the card is begun as illustrated in FIG. 8 moving the card across printhead 25 and CCD scanner 26. The scanner 26 monitors a current location of the card 22 and in turn causes the printhead 25 to eject drops when required as illustrated in FIG. 9 wherein the square 28 is updated with the new data. The card is then ejected from the card reading/writing apparatus (FIG. 5) in the normal manner similar to that of a floppy disc or the like. The card can then continue to be utilized until all the data spaces are filled out in which case a new card can be produced.

It will be therefore evident that the utilisation of the foregoing card system provides for an effective and inexpensive form for the distribution of information in that the cards can be inexpensively produced and utilized in a flexible manner to distribute information.

Turning now to FIG. 10, there is illustrated a schematic functional block diagram of the different functional blocks utilized in the Artcard reader. The printhead 25 and the linear CCD 26 operate under the control of a suitably programmed Artcam central processor chip 30. The Artcam central processor 30 is fully described in the aforementioned patent specification. The ACP 30 includes associated memory 31 for the storage of scanned data and other data and programs. The ACP further includes facilities for motor control activation of various motors 32 utilized in the operation of the pinch rollers. Of course, other control buttons, etc. can be provided in accordance with requirements.

The utilisation of such an arrangement provides for a system which allows for the ready monitoring and updating of information stored on a cards surface.

It would further be appreciated by a person skilled in the art that numerous variations and/or modifications any be made to the present invention as shown in the specific embodiment without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as broadly described. The present embodiment is, therefore, to be considered in all respects to be illustrative and not restrictive.

Ink Jet Technologies

The embodiments of the invention use an ink jet printer type device. Of course many different devices could be used. However presently popular ink jet printing technologies are unlikely to be suitable.

The most significant problem with thermal inkjet is power consumption. This is approximately 100 times that required for high speed, and stems from the energy-inefficient means of drop ejection. This involves the rapid boiling of water to produce a vapor bubble which expels the ink. Water has a very high heat capacity, and must be superheated in thermal inkjet applications. This leads to an efficiency of around 0.02%, from electricity input to drop momentum (and increased surface area) out.

The most significant problem with piezoelectric inkjet is size and cost. Piezoelectric crystals have a very small deflection at reasonable drive voltages, and therefore require a large area for each nozzle. Also, each piezoelectric actuator must be connected to its drive circuit on a separate substrate. This is not a significant problem at the current limit of around 300 nozzles per print head, but is a major impediment to the fabrication of pagewide print heads with 19,200 nozzles.

Ideally, the inkjet technologies used meet the stringent requirements of in-camera digital color printing and other high quality, high speed, low cost printing applications. To meet the requirements of digital photography, new inkjet technologies have been created. The target features include:

low power (less than 10 Watts)

high resolution capability (1,600 dpi or more)

photographic quality output

low manufacturing cost

small size (pagewidth times minimum cross section)

high speed (<2 seconds per page).

All of these features can be met or exceeded by the inkjet systems described below with differing levels of difficulty. 45 different inkjet technologies have been developed by the Assignee to give a wide range of choices for high volume manufacture. These technologies form part of separate applications assigned to the present Assignee as set out in the table above.

The inkjet designs shown here are suitable for a wide range of digital printing systems, from battery powered one-time use digital cameras, through to desktop and network printers, and through to commercial printing systems

For ease of manufacture using standard process equipment, the print head is designed to be a monolithic 0.5 micron CMOS chip with MEMS post processing. For color photographic applications, the print head is 100 mm long, with a width which depends upon the inkjet type. The smallest print head designed is (Docket No. IJ38) U. S. Pat. App. Ser. No. 09/112,764, which is 0.35 mm wide, giving a chip area of 35 square mm. The print heads each contain 19,200 nozzles plus data and control circuitry.

Ink is supplied to the back of the print head by injection molded plastic ink channels. The molding requires 50 micron features, which can be created using a lithographically micromachined insert in a standard injection molding tool. Ink flows through holes etched through the wafer to the nozzle chambers fabricated on the front surface of the wafer. The print head is connected to the camera circuitry by tape automated bonding.

Tables of Drop-on-Demand Ink Jets

The present invention is useful in the field of digital printing, in particular, ink jet printing. A number of patent applications in this field were files simultaneously and incorporated by cross reference.

Eleven important characteristics of the fundamental operation of individual ink jet nozzles have been identified. These charactersitics are larely orthogonal, and so can be elucidated as an eleven dimensional matrix. most of the eleven axes of this matrix include entries developed by the present assignee.

The following tables form the axes of an eleven dimensional table of ink jet types.

Actuator mechanism (18 types)

Basic operation mode (7 types)

Auxilliary mechanism (8 types)

Actuator amplification or modification method (17 types)

Actuator motion (19 types)

Nozzle refill method (4 types)

Method of restricting back-flow through inlet (10 types)

Nozzle clearing method (9 types)

Nozzle plate construction (9 types)

Drop ejection direction (5 types)

Ink type (7 types)

The complete eleven dimensional table represented by these axes contains 36.9 billion possible configurations of ink jet nozzle. While not all of the possible combinations result in a viable ink jet technology, many million configurations are vaible. It is clearly impractical to elucidate all of the possible configurations. Instead, certain ink jet types have been investigated in detail. These are designated IJ01 to IJ45 which matches the docket numbers in the table under the heading Cross References to Related Applications.

Other ink jet configurations can readily be derived from these 45 examples by substituting alternative configurations along one or more of the 11 axes. most of the IJ01 to IJ45 examples can be made into ink jet print heads with characteristics superior to any currently available ink jet technology.

Where there are prior art examples known to the inventor, one or more of these examples are listed in the examples column of the tables below. The IJ01 to IJ45 series are also listed in the examples column. In some cases, a printer may be lsited more than once ina table, where it shares characteristics with more than one entry.

Suitable applications for the ink jet technologies include: Home printers, Office network printers, Short run digital printers, Commercial print systems, Fabric printers, Pocket printers, Internet WWW printers, Video printers, Medical imaging, Wide format printers, notebook PC printers, Fax machines, Industrial printing systems, Photocopiers, Photographic minilabs etc.

The information associated with the aforementioned 11 dimensional matrix are set out in the following tables.

    __________________________________________________________________________     ACTUATOR MECHANISM (APPLIED ONLY TO SELECTED INK DROPS)                        Description           Advantages    Disadvantages     Examples                 __________________________________________________________________________     Thermal                                                                              An electrothermal heater heats the                                                             ♦ Large force generated                                                        ♦ High                                                                             ♦                                                                Canon Bubblejet          bubble                                                                               ink to above boiling point,                                                                    ♦ Simple construction                                                          ♦ Ink carrier limited                                            to water          1979 Endo et al GB             transferring significant heat to the                                                           ♦ No moving parts                                                              ♦ Low                                                                              patent 2,007,162               aqueous ink. A bubble nucleates and                                                            ♦ Fast operation                                                               ♦ High temperatures                                              required          ♦                                                                Xerox heater-in-               quickly forms, expelling the ink.                                                              ♦ Small chip area required                                                     ♦ High mechanical                                                stress            pit 1990 Hawkins                                                               et                             The efficiency of the process is low,                                                          actuator      ♦ Unusual materials                                              required          al U.S. Pat. No.               with typically less than 0.05% of the                                                                        ♦ Large drive                                                    transistors       4,899,181                      electrical energy being transformed                                                                          ♦ Cavitation causes                                              actuator failure  ♦                                                                Hewlett-Packard                into kinetic energy of the drop.                                                                             ♦ Kogation reduces                                               bubble formation  TIJ 1982 Vaught et                                           ♦ Large print heads are                                          difficult to      al U.S. Pat. No.                                             fabricate         4,490,728                Piezoelectric                                                                        A piezoelectric crystal such as lead                                                           ♦ Low power consumption                                                        ♦ Very large area                                                required for actuator                                                                            ♦                                                                Kyser et al U.S.               lanthanum zirconate (PZT) is                                                                   ♦ Many ink types can be                                                        ♦ Difficult to                                                   integrate with electronics                                                                       Pat. No. 3,946,398             electrically activated, and either                                                             ♦ Fast operation                                                               ♦ High voltage drive                                             transistors required                                                                             ♦                                                                Zoltan U.S. Pat.               expands, shears, or bends to apply                                                             ♦ High efficiency                                                              ♦ Full pagewidth print                                           heads impractical No. 3,683,212                  pressure to the ink, ejecting drops.                                                                         due to actuator size                                                                             ♦                                                                1973 Stemme                                                  ♦ Requires electrical                                            poling in high field                                                                             U.S. Pat. No.                                                strengths during manufacture                                                                     3,747,120                                                                      ♦                                                                Epson Stylus                                                                   ♦                                                                Tektronix                                                                      ♦                                                                IJ04                     Electro-                                                                             An electric field is used to activate                                                          ♦ Low power consumption                                                        ♦ Low maximum strain                                             (approx. 0.01%)   ♦                                                                Seiko Epson,             strictive                                                                            electrostriction in relaxor materials                                                          ♦ Many ink types can be                                                        ♦ Large area required                                            for actuator due to                                                                              Usui et all JP                 such as lead lanthanum zirconate                                                               ♦ Low thermal expansion                                                        low strain        253401/96                      titanate (PLZT) or lead magnesium                                                              ♦ Electric field strength                                                      ♦ Response speed is                                              marginal (˜10                                                                              ♦                                                                IJ04                           niobate (PMN).  required (approx. 3.5 V/μm)                                                               ♦ High voltage drive                                             transistors required                                             can be generated without                                                                     ♦ Full pagewidth print                                           heads impractical                                                difficulty    due to actuator size                                             ♦ Does not require electrical                                    poling                                                   Ferroelectric                                                                        An electric field is used to induce a                                                          ♦ Low power consumption                                                        ♦ Difficult to                                                   integrate with electronics                                                                       ♦                                                                IJ04                           phase transition between the                                                                   ♦ Many ink types can be                                                        ♦ Unusual materials                                              such as PLZSnT are                               antiferroelectric (AFE) and                                                                    ♦ Fast operation (<1                                                           required                                         ferroelectric (FE) phase. Perovskite                                                           ♦ Relatively high longitudinal                                                 ♦ Actuators require a                                            large area                                       materials such as tin modified lead                                                            strain                                                         lanthanum zirconate titanate                                                                   ♦ High efficiency                                (PLZSnT) exhibit large strains of up                                                           ♦ Electric field strength of                     to 1% associated with the AFE to FE                                                            around 3 V/μm can be                                        phase transition.                                                                              readily provided                                         Electrostatic                                                                        Conductive plates are separated by a                                                           ♦ Low power consumption                                                        ♦ Difficult to operate                                           electrostatic     ♦                                                                IJ02, IJ04               plates                                                                               compressible or fluid dielectric                                                               ♦ Many ink types can be                                                        devices in an aqueous environment                (usually air). Upon application of a                                                           ♦ Fast operation                                                               ♦ The electrostatic                                              actuator will normally                           voltage, the plates attract each other                                                                       need to be separated from the ink                and displace ink, causing drop                                                                               ♦ Very large area                                                required to achieve                              ejection. The conductive plates may                                                                          high forces                                      be in a comb or honeycomb     ♦ High voltage drive                                             transistors may be                               structure, or stacked to increase the                                                                        required                                         surface area and therefore the force.                                                                        ♦ Full pagewidth print                                           heads are not                                                                  competitive due to actuator size           Electrostatic                                                                        A strong electric field is applied to                                                          ♦ Low current consumption                                                      ♦ High voltage                                                                     ♦                                                                1989 Saito et al,        pull of ink                                                                          the ink, whereupon electrostatic                                                               ♦ Low temperature                                                              ♦ May be damaged by                                              sparks due to air U.S. Pat. No.                  attraction accelerates the ink towards                                                                       breakdown         4,799,068                      the print medium.             ♦ Required field                                                 strength increases as                                                                            ♦                                                                1989 Miura et al,                                            drop size decreases                                                                              U.S. Pat. No.                                                ♦ High voltage drive                                             transistors required                                                                             4,810,954                                                    ♦ Electrostatic field                                            attracts dust     ♦                                                                Tone-jet                 Permanent                                                                            An electromagnet directly attracts a                                                           ♦ Low power consumption                                                        ♦ Complex                                                                          ♦                                                                IJ07, IJ10               magnet                                                                               permanent magnet, displacing ink                                                               ♦ Many ink types can be                                                        ♦ Permanent magnetic                                             material such as                           electro-                                                                             and causing drop ejection. Rare earth                                                          ♦ Fast operation                                                               Neodymium Iron Boron (NdFeB)               magnetic                                                                             magnets with a field strength around                                                           ♦ High efficiency                                                              required.                                        1 Tesla can be used. Examples are:                                                             ♦ Easy extension from                                                          ♦ High local currents                                            required                                         Samarium Cobalt (SaCo) and                                                                     nozzles to pagewidth print                                                                   ♦ Copper metalization                                            should be used for                               magnetic materials in the                                                                      heads         long electromigration lifetime and                                             low                                              neodymium iron boron family   resistivity                                      (NdFeB, NdDyFeBNb, NdDyFeB,   ♦ Pigmented inks are                                             usually infeasible                               etc)                          ♦ Operating temperature                                          limited to the                                                                 Curie temperature (around 540 K)           Soft  A solenoid induced a magnetic field                                                            ♦ Low power consumption                                                        ♦ Complex                                                                          ♦                                                                IJ01, IJ05, IJ08,        magnetic                                                                             in a soft magnetic core or yoke                                                                ♦ Many ink types can be                                                        ♦ Materials not usually                                          present in a      IJ10                     core electro-                                                                        fabricated from a ferrous material                                                             ♦ Fast operation                                                               CMOS fab such as NiFe, CoNiFe,                                                                   ♦                                                                IJ12, IJ14, IJ15,        magnetic                                                                             such as electroplated iron alloys such                                                         ♦ High efficiency                                                              CoFe are required IJ17                           as CoNiFe [1], CoFe, or NiFe alloys.                                                           ♦ Easy extension from                                                          ♦ High local currents                                            required                                         Typically, the soft magnetic material                                                          nozzles to pagewidth print                                                                   ♦ Copper metalization                                            should be used for                               is in two parts, which are normally                                                            heads         long electromigration lifetime and                                             low                                              held apart by a spring. When the                                                                             resistivity                                      solenoid is actuated, the two parts                                                                          ♦ Electroplating is                                              required                                         attract, displacing the ink.  ♦ High saturation flux                                           density is required                                                            (2.0-2.1 T is achievable with CoNiFe                                           [1])                                       Lorenz force                                                                         The Lorenz force acting on a current                                                           ♦ Low power consumption                                                        ♦ Force acts as a                                                twisting motion   ♦                                                                IJ06, IJ11, IJ13,              carrying wire in a magnetic field is                                                           ♦ Many ink types can be                                                        ♦ Typically, only a                                              quarter of the    IJ16                           utilized.       ♦ Fast operation                                                               solenoid length provides force in a              This allows the magnetic field to be                                                           ♦ High efficiency                                                              useful direction                                 supplied externally to the print head,                                                         ♦ Easy extension from                                                          ♦ High local currents                                            required                                         for example with rare earth                                                                    nozzles to pagewidth print                                                                   ♦ Copper metalization                                            should be used for                               permanent magnets.                                                                             heads         long electromigration lifetime and                                             low                                              Only the current carrying wire need                                                                          resistivity                                      be fabricated on the print-head,                                                                             ♦ Pigmented inks are                                             usually infeasible                               simplifying materials requirements.                                      Magneto-                                                                             The actuator uses the giant                                                                    ♦ Many ink types can be                                                        ♦ Force acts as a                                                twisting motion   ♦                                                                Fischenbeck,             striction                                                                            magnetostrictive effect of materials                                                           ♦ Fast operation                                                               ♦ Unusual materials                                              such as Terfenol-D                                                                               U.S. Pat. No.                  such as Terfenol-D (an alloy of                                                                ♦ Easy extension from                                                          are required      4,032,929                      terbium, dysprosium and iron                                                                   nozzles to pagewidth print                                                                   ♦ High local currents                                            required          ♦                                                                IJ25                           developed at the Naval Ordnance                                                                heads         ♦ Copper metalization                                            should be used for                               Laboratory, hence Ter-Fe-NOL). For                                                             ♦ High force is available                                                      long electromigration lifetime and                                             low                                              best efficiency, the actuator should                                                                         resistivity                                      be pre-stressed to approx. 8 MPa.                                                                            ♦ Pre-stressing may be                                           required                                   Surface                                                                              Ink under positive pressure is held in                                                         ♦ Low power consumption                                                        ♦ Requires                                                       supplementary force to                                                                           ♦                                                                Silverbrook, EP          tension                                                                              a nozzle by surface tension. The                                                               ♦ Simple construction                                                          drop separation   0771 658 A2 and          reduction                                                                            surface tension of the ink is reduced                                                          ♦ No unusual materials                                                         ♦ Requires special ink                                           surfactants       related patent                 below the bubble threshold, causing                                                            required in fabrication                                                                      ♦ Speed may be limited                                           by surfactant     applications                   the ink to egress from the nozzle.                                                             ♦ High efficiency                                                              properties                                                       ♦ Easy extension from single                                     nozzles to pagewidth print                                                     heads                                                    Viscosity                                                                            The ink viscosity is locally reduced                                                           ♦ Simple construction                                                          ♦ Requires                                                       supplementary force to                                                                           ♦                                                                Silverbrook, EP          reduction                                                                            to select which drops are to be                                                                ♦ No unusual materials                                                         drop separation   0771 658 A2 and                ejected. A viscosity reduction can be                                                          required in fabrication                                                                      ♦ Requires special ink                                           viscosity         related patent                 achieved electrothermally with most                                                            ♦ Easy extension from                                                          properties        applications                   inks, but special inks can be                                                                  nozzles to pagewidth print                                                                   ♦ High speed is                                                  difficult to achieve                             engineered for a 100:1 viscosity                                                               heads         ♦ Requires oscillating                                           ink pressure                                     reduction.                    ♦ A high temperature                                             difference                                                                     (typically 80 degrees) is required         Acoustic                                                                             An acoustic wave is generated and                                                              ♦ Can operate without                                                          ♦ Complex drive                                                  circuitry         ♦                                                                1993 Hadimioglu                focussed upon the drop ejection                                                                nozzle plate  ♦ Complex                                                                          et al, EUP 550,192             region.                       ♦ Low                                                                              ♦                                                                1993 Elrod et al,                                            ♦ Poor control of drop                                           position          EUP 572,220                                                  ♦ Poor control of drop                                           volume                                     Thermo-                                                                              An actuator which relies upon                                                                  ♦ Low power consumption                                                        ♦ Efficient aqueous                                              operation requires a                                                                             ♦                                                                IJ03, IJ09, JJ17,        elastic                                                                              differential thermal expansion upon                                                            ♦ Many ink types can be                                                        thermal insulator on the hot                                                                     IJ18                     bend  Joule heating is used.                                                                         ♦ Simple planar fabrication                                                    ♦ Corrosion prevention                                           can be difficult  ♦                                                                IJ19, IJ20, IJ21,        actuator              ♦ Small chip area required                                                     ♦ Pigmented inks may be                                          infeasible, as    IJ22                                           each actuator pigment particles may jam the                                                                    ♦                                                                IJ23, IJ24, IJ27,                              ♦ Fast operation                                                               actuator          IJ28                                           ♦ High efficiency ♦                                                                IJ29, IJ30, IJ31,                              ♦ CMOS compatible voltages                                                                       IJ32                                           and currents                    ♦                                                                IJ33, IJ34, IJ35,                              ♦ Standard MEMS processes                                                                        IJ36                                           can be used                     ♦                                                                IJ37, IJ38, IJ39,                              ♦ Easy extension from                                                                            IJ40le                                         nozzles to pagewidth print      ♦                                                                IJ41                                           heads                                                    High CTE                                                                             A material with a very high                                                                    ♦ High force can be                                                            ♦ Requires special                                               material (e.g. PTFE)                                                                             ♦                                                                IJ09, JJ17, IJ18,        thermoelastic                                                                        coefficient of thermal expansion                                                               ♦ PTFE is a candidate for                                                      ♦ Requires a PTFE                                                deposition process,                                                                              IJ20                     actuator                                                                             (CTE) such as   dielectric constant                                                                          which is not yet standard in ULSI                                              fabs              ♦                                                                IJ21, IJ22, IJ23,              polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) is                                                              insulation in ULSI                                                                           ♦ PTFE deposition                                                cannot be followed                                                                               IJ24                           used. As high CTE materials are                                                                ♦ Very low power                                                               with high temperature (above                                                   350° C.)   ♦                                                                IJ27, IJ28, IJ29,              usually non-conductive, a heater                                                               consumption   processing        IJ30                           fabricated from a conductive                                                                   ♦ Many ink types can be                                                        ♦ Pigmented inks may be                                          infeasible, as    ♦                                                                IJ31, IJ42, IJ43,              material is incorporated. A 50 μm                                                           ♦ Simple planar fabrication                                                    pigment particles may jam the                                                                    IJ44                           long PTFE bend actuator with                                                                   ♦ Small chip area required                                                     actuator                                         polysilicon heater and 15 mW power                                                             each actuator                                                  input can provide 180 μN force and                                                          ♦ Fast operation                                 10 μm deflection. Actuator motions                                                          ♦ High efficiency                                include:        ♦ CMOS compatible voltages                       1) Bend         and currents                                                   2) Push         ♦ Easy extension from single                     3) Buckle       nozzles to pagewidth print                                     4) Rotate       heads                                                    Conductive                                                                           A polymer with a high coefficient of                                                           ♦ High force can be                                                            ♦ Requires special                                               materials         ♦                                                                IJ24                     polymer                                                                              thermal expansion (such as PTFE) is                                                            ♦ Very low power                                                               development (High CTE conductive           thermoelastic                                                                        doped with conducting substances to                                                            consumption   polymer)                                   actuator                                                                             increase its conductivity to about 3                                                           ♦ Many ink types can be                                                        ♦ Requires a PTFE                                                deposition process,                              orders of magnitude below that of                                                              ♦ Simple planar fabrication                                                    which is not yet standard in ULSI                                              fabs                                             copper. The conducting polymer                                                                 ♦ Small chip area required                                                     ♦ PTFE deposition                                                cannot be followed                               expands when resistively heated.                                                               each actuator with high temperature (above                                                   350° C.)                                  Examples of conducting dopants                                                                 ♦ Fast operation                                                               processing                                       include:        ♦ High efficiency                                                              ♦ Evaporation and CVD                                            deposition                                       1) Carbon nanotubes                                                                            ♦ CMOS compatible voltages                                                     techniques cannot be used                        2) Metal fibers and currents  ♦ Pigmented inks may be                                          infeasible, as                                   3) Conductive polymers such as                                                                 ♦ Easy extension from                                                          pigment particles may jam the bend               doped polythiophene                                                                            nozzles to pagewidth print                                                                   actuator                                         4) Carbon granules                                                                             heads                                                    Shape A shape memory alloy such as TiNi                                                              ♦ High force is available                                                      ♦ Fatigue limits                                                 maximum number of ♦                                                                JI26                     memory                                                                               (also known as Nitinol - Nickel                                                                (stresses of hundreds of                                                                     cycles                                     alloy Titanium alloy developed at the                                                                MPa)          ♦ Low strain (1%) is                                             required to extend                               Naval Ordnance Laboratory) is                                                                  ♦ Large strain is available                                                    fatigue resistance                               thermally switched between its weak                                                            (more than 3%)                                                                               ♦ Cycle rate limited by                                          heat removal                                     martensitic state and its high                                                                 ♦ High corrosion resistance                                                    ♦ Requires unusual                                               materials (TiNi)                                 stiffness austenic state. The shape of                                                         ♦ Simple construction                                                          ♦ The latent heat of                                             transformation must                              the actuator in its martensitic state is                                                       ♦ Easy extension from                                                          be provided                                      deformed relative to the austenic                                                              nozzles to pagewidth print                                                                   ♦ High current                                                   operation                                        shape. The shape change causes                                                                 heads         ♦ Requires                                                       pre-stressing to distort the                     ejection of a drop.                                                                            ♦ Low voltage operation                                                        martensitic state                          Linear                                                                               Linear magnetic actuators include                                                              ♦ Linear Magnetic actuators                                                    ♦ Requires unusual                                               semiconductor     ♦                                                                IJ12                     Magnetic                                                                             the Linear Induction Actuator (LIA),                                                           can be constructed with                                                                      materials such as soft magnetic                                                alloys                                     Actuator                                                                             Linear Permanent Magnet                                                                        high thrust, long travel, and                                                                (e.g. CoNiFe [1])                                Synchronous Actuator (LPMSA),                                                                  high efficiency using planar                                                                 ♦ Some varieties also                                            require permanent                                Linear Reluctance Synchronous                                                                  semiconductor fabrication                                                                    magnetic materials such as                       Actuator (LRSA), Linear Switched                                                               techniques    Neodymium iron boron (NdFeB)                     Reluctance Actuator (LSRA), and                                                                ♦ Long actuator travel                                                         ♦ Requires complex                                               multi-phase drive                                the Linear Stepper Actuator (LSA).                                                             available     circuitry                                                        ♦ Medium force is available                                                    ♦ High current                                                   operation                                                        ♦ Low voltage operation                    __________________________________________________________________________

    __________________________________________________________________________     BASIC OPERATION MODE                                                           Description           Advantages   Disadvantages    Examples                   __________________________________________________________________________     Actuator                                                                             This is the simplest mode of                                                                   ♦ Simple operation                                                            ♦ Drop repetition rate                                           is usually limited                                                                              ♦                                                                Thermal inkjet             directly                                                                             operation: the actuator directly                                                               ♦ No external fields                                                          to less than 10 KHz. However, this                                                              ♦                                                                Piezoelectric inkjet       pushes ink                                                                           supplies sufficient kinetic energy to                                                          ♦ Satellite drops can                                                         not fundamental to the method, but                                                              ♦ IJ01,                                                          IJ02, IJ03, IJ04                 expel the drop. The drop must have a                                                           avoided if drop velocity is                                                                 related to the refill method                                                                    ♦ IJ05,                                                          IJ06, IJ07, IJ09                 sufficient velocity to overcome the                                                            less than 4 m/s                                                                             used             ♦ IJ11,                                                          IJ12, IJ14, IJ16                 surface tension.                                                                               ♦ Can be efficient,                                                           ♦ All of the drop                                                kinetic energy must                                                                             ♦ IJ20,                                                          IJ22, IJ23, IJ24                                 upon the actuator used                                                                      be provided by the actuator                                                                     ♦ IJ25,                                                          IJ26, IJ27, IJ28                                              ♦ Satellite drops                                                usually form if drop                                                                            ♦ IJ29,                                                          IJ30, IJ31, IJ32                                              velocity is greater than 4.5                                                                    ♦ IJ33,                                                          IJ34, IJ35, IJ36                                                               ♦ IJ37,                                                          IJ38, IJ39, IJ40                                                               ♦ IJ41,                                                          IJ42, IJ43, IJ44           Proximity                                                                            The drops to be printed are selected                                                           ♦ Very simple print                                                           ♦ Requires close                                                 proximity between the                                                                           ♦                                                                Silverbrook, EP 0771             by some manner (e.g. thermally                                                                 fabrication can be used                                                                     print head and the print media                                                                  658 A2 and related               induced surface tension reduction of                                                           ♦ The drop selection                                                          transfer roller  patent applications              pressurized ink). Selected drops are                                                           does not need to provide the                                                                ♦ May require two print                                          heads printing                                    separated from the ink in the nozzle                                                           energy required to separate                                                                 alternate rows of the image                       by contact with the print medium or                                                            the drop from the nozzle                                                                    ♦ Monolithic color print                                         heads are                                         a transfer roller.           difficult                                   Electrostatic                                                                        The drops to be printed are selected                                                           ♦ Very simple print                                                           ♦ Requires very high                                             electrostatic field                                                                             ♦                                                                Silverbrook, EP 0771       pull on ink                                                                          by some manner (e.g. thermally                                                                 fabrication can be used                                                                     ♦ Electrostatic field                                            for small nozzle 658 A2 and related               induced surface tension reduction of                                                           ♦ The drop selection                                                          sizes is above air breakdown                                                                    patent applications              pressurized ink). Selected drops are                                                           does not need to provide the                                                                ♦ Electrostatic field                                            may attract dust ♦                                                                Tone-Jet                         separated from the ink in the nozzle                                                           energy required to separate                                    by a strong electric field.                                                                    the drop from the nozzle                                 Magnetic                                                                             The drops to be printed are selected                                                           ♦ Very simple print                                                           ♦ Requires magnetic                                                               Silverbrook, EP 0771       pull on ink                                                                          by some manner (e.g. thermally                                                                 fabrication can be used                                                                     ♦ Ink colors other than                                          black are        658 A2 and related               induced surface tension reduction of                                                           ♦ The drop selection                                                          difficult        patent applications              pressurized ink). Selected drops are                                                           does not need to provide the                                                                ♦ Requires very high                                             magnetic fields                                   separated from the ink in the nozzle                                                           energy required to separate                                    by a strong magnetic field acting on                                                           the drop from the nozzle                                       the magnetic ink.                                                        Shutter                                                                              The actuator moves a shutter to                                                                ♦ High speed (>50 KHz)                                                        ♦ Moving parts are                                               required         ♦ IJ13,                                                          IJ17, IJ21                       block ink flow to the nozzle. The ink                                                          operation can be achieved                                                                   ♦ Requires ink pressure                                          modulator                                         pressure is pulsed at a multiple of the                                                        due to reduced refill time                                                                  ♦ Friction and wear must                                         be considered                                     drop ejection frequency.                                                                       ♦ Drop timing can be                                                          ♦ Stiction is possible                              accurate                                                                       ♦ The actuator energy can be                                     very low                                                 Shuttered                                                                            The actuator moves a shutter to                                                                ♦ Actuators with small                                                        ♦ Moving parts are                                               required         ♦ IJ08,                                                          IJ15, IJ18, IJ19           grill block ink flow through a grill to the                                                          can be used  ♦ Requires ink pressure                                          modulator                                         nozzle. The shutter movement need                                                              ♦ Actuators with small                                                        ♦ Friction and wear must                                         be considered                                     only be equal to the width of the grill                                                        can be used  ♦ Stiction is possible              holes.          ♦ High speed (>50 KHz)                                           operation can be achieved                                Pulsed                                                                               A pulsed magnetic field attracts an                                                            ♦ Extremely low energy                                                        ♦ Requires an external                                           pulsed magnetic  ♦ IJ10       magnetic                                                                             `ink pusher` at the drop ejection                                                              operation is possible                                                                       field                                       pull on                                                                              frequency. An actuator controls a                                                              ♦ No heat dissipation                                                         ♦ Requires special                                               materials for both                          ink pusher                                                                           catch, which prevents the ink pusher                                                           problems     the actuator and the ink pusher                   from moving when a drop is not to                                                                           ♦ Complex construction              be ejected.                                                              __________________________________________________________________________

    __________________________________________________________________________     AUXILIARY MECHANISM (APPLIED TO ALL NOZZLES)                                          Description     Advantages   Disadvantages   Examples                   __________________________________________________________________________     None   The actuator directly fires the ink                                                            ♦ Simplicity of construction                                                  ♦ Drop ejection energy                                           must be         ♦ Most                                                           inkjets,                          drop, and there is no external field or                                                        ♦ Simplicity of operation                                                     supplied by individual nozzle                                                  actuator        including                         other mechanism required.                                                                      ♦ Small physical size                                                                         piezoelectric and                                                              ♦                                                                thermal bubble.                                                                ♦                                                                IJ01-IJ07, IJ09,                                                               IJ11                                                                           ♦ IJ12,                                                          IJ14, IJ20, IJ22                                                               ♦                                                                IJ23-IJ45                  Oscillating ink                                                                       The ink pressure oscillates,                                                                   ♦ Oscillating ink pressure                                                    ♦ Requires external ink                                          pressure        ♦                                                                Silverbrook, EP 0771       pressure                                                                              providing much of the drop ejection                                                            provide a refill pulse,                                                                     oscillator      658 A2 and related         (including                                                                            energy. The actuator selects which                                                             allowing higher operating                                                                   ♦ Ink pressure phase                                             and amplitude   patent applications        acoustic                                                                              drops are to be fired by selectively                                                           speed        must be carefully controlled                                                                   ♦ IJ08,                                                          IJ13, IJ15, IJ17           stimulation)                                                                          blocking or enabling nozzles. The                                                              ♦ The actuators may                                                           ♦ Acoustic reflections                                           in the ink      ♦ IJ18,                                                          IJ19, IJ21                        ink pressure oscillation may be                                                                with much lower energy                                                                      chamber must be designed for                      achieved by vibrating the print head,                                                          ♦ Acoustic lenses can be used                    or preferably by an actuator in the                                                            to focus the sound on the                                      ink supply.     nozzles                                                 Media  The print head is placed in close                                                              ♦ Low power                                                                   ♦ Precision assembly                                             required        ♦                                                                Silverbrook, EP 0771       proximity                                                                             proximity to the print medium.                                                                 ♦ High accuracy                                                               ♦ Paper fibers may                                               cause problems  658 A2 and related                Selected drops protrude from the                                                               ♦ Simple print head                                                           ♦ Cannot print on rough                                          substrates      patent applications               print head further than unselected                                                             construction                                                   drops, and contact the print medium.                                           The drop soaks into the medium fast                                            enough to cause drop separation.                                        Transfer roller                                                                       Drops are printed to a transfer roller                                                         ♦ High accuracy                                                               ♦ Bulky                                                                          ♦                                                                Silverbrook, EP 0771              instead of straight to the print                                                               ♦ Wide range of print                                                         ♦ Expensive                                                                      658 A2 and related                medium. A transfer roller can also be                                                          substrates can be used                                                                      ♦ Complex                                                                        patent applications               used for proximity drop separation.                                                            ♦ Ink can be dried on                                                                         ♦                                                                Tektronix hot melt                                transfer roller              piezoelectric inkjet                                                           ♦ Any                                                            of the IJ series           Electrostatic                                                                         An electric field is used to accelerate                                                        ♦ Low power                                                                   ♦ Field strength                                                 required for    ♦                                                                Silverbrook, EP 0771              selected drops towards the print                                                               ♦ Simple print head                                                           separation of small drops is near                                                              658 A2 and related                medium.         construction above air breakdown                                                                            patent applications                                                            ♦                                                                Tone-Jet                   Direct A magnetic field is used to accelerate                                                         ♦ Low power                                                                   ♦ Requires magnetic                                                              ♦                                                                Silverbrook, EP 0771       magnetic field                                                                        selected drops of magnetic ink                                                                 ♦ Simple print head                                                           ♦ Requires strong                                                magnetic field  658 A2 and related                towards the print medium.                                                                      construction                 patent applications        Cross  The print head is placed in a constant                                                         ♦ Does not require                                                            ♦ Requires external                                              magnet          ♦ IJ06,                                                          IJ16                       magnetic field                                                                        magnetic field. The Lorenz force in a                                                          materials to be integrated in                                                               ♦ Current densities may                                          be high,                                          current carrying wire is used to move                                                          the print head                                                                              resulting in electromigration                     the actuator.   manufacturing process                                                                       problems                                   Pulsed A pulsed magnetic field is used to                                                             ♦ Very low power operation                                                    ♦ Complex print head                                             construction    ♦ JJ10       magnetic field                                                                        cyclically attract a paddle, which                                                             is possible  ♦ Magnetic materials                                             required in                                       pushes on the ink. A small actuator                                                            ♦ Small print head                                                            print head                                        moves a catch, which selectively                                               prevents the paddle from moving.                                        __________________________________________________________________________

    __________________________________________________________________________     ACTUATOR AMPLIFICATION OR MODIFICATION METHOD                                  Description           Advantages    Disadvantages   Examples                   __________________________________________________________________________     None  No actuator mechanical                                                                         ♦ Operational simplicity                                                       ♦ Many actuator                                                  mechanisms have ♦                                                                Thermal Bubble                   amplification is used. The actuator                                                                          insufficient travel, or                                                                        Inkjeticient                     directly drives the drop ejection                                                                            force, to efficiently drive the                                                                ♦ IJ01,                                                          IJ02, IJ06, IJ07                 process.                      ejection process                                                                               ♦ IJ16,                                                          IJ25, IJ26                 Differential                                                                         An actuator material expands more                                                              ♦ Provides greater travel in                                                   ♦ High stresses are                                              involved        ♦                                                                Piezoelectric              expansion                                                                            on one side than on the other. The                                                             reduced print head area                                                                      ♦ Care must be taken                                             that the        ♦ IJ03,                                                          IJ09, IJ17-IJ24            bend  expansion may be thermal,                                                                      ♦ The bend actuator                                                            materials do not delaminate                                                                    ♦ IJ27,                                                          IJ29-IJ39, IJ42,           actuator                                                                             piezoelectric, magnetostrictive, or                                                            a high force low travel                                                                      ♦ Residual bend                                                  resulting from high                                                                            ♦ IJ43,                                                          IJ44                             other mechanism.                                                                               actuator mechanism to high                                                                   temperature or high stress during                                travel, lower force                                                                          formation                                                        mechanism.                                               Transient                                                                            A trilayer bend actuator where the                                                             ♦ Very good temperature                                                        ♦ High stresses are                                              involved        ♦ IJ40,                                                          IJ41                       bend  two outside layers are identical. This                                                         stability     ♦ Care must be taken                                             that the                                   actuator                                                                             cancels bend due to ambient                                                                    ♦ High speed, as a new                                                         materials do not delaminate                      temperature and residual stress. The                                                           can be fired before heat                                       actuator only responds to transient                                                            dissipates                                                     heating of one side or the other.                                                              ♦ Cancels residual stress of                                     formation                                                Reverse                                                                              The actuator loads a spring. When                                                              ♦ Better coupling to the                                                       ♦ Fabrication                                                    complexity      ♦ IJ05,                                                          IJ11                       spring                                                                               the actuator is turned off, the spring                                                                       ♦ High stress in the                                             spring                                           releases. This can reverse the                                                 force/distance curve of the actuator                                           to make it compatible with the                                                 force/time requirements of the drop                                            ejection.                                                                Actuator                                                                             A series of thin actuators are stacked.                                                        ♦ Increased travel                                                             ♦ Increased fabrication                                          complexity      ♦ Some                                                           piezoelectric              stack This can be appropriate where                                                                  ♦ Reduced drive voltage                                                        ♦ Increased possibility                                          of short        ink jets                         actuators require high electric field                                                                        circuits due to pinholes                                                                       ♦ IJ04             strength, such as electrostatic and                                            piezoelectric actuators.                                                 Multiple                                                                             Multiple smaller actuators are used                                                            ♦ Increases the force                                                          ♦ Actuator forces may                                            not add         ♦ IJ12,                                                          IJ13, IJ18, IJ20           actuators                                                                            simultaneously to move the ink.                                                                from an actuator                                                                             linearly, reducing efficiency                                                                  ♦ IJ22,                                                          IJ28, IJ42, IJ43                 Each actuator need provide only a                                                              ♦ Multiple actuators can be                      portion of the force required.                                                                 positioned to control ink                                                      flow accurately                                          Linear                                                                               A linear spring is used to transform a                                                         ♦ Matches low travel                                                           ♦ Requires print head                                            area for the    ♦ IJ15       Spring                                                                               motion with small travel and high                                                              with higher travel                                                                           spring                                           force into a longer travel, lower force                                                        requirements                                                   motion.         ♦ Non-contact method of                                          motion transformation                                    Coiled                                                                               A bend actuator is coiled to provide                                                           ♦ Increases travel                                                             ♦ Generally restricted                                           to planar       ♦ IJ17,                                                          IJ21, IJ34, IJ35           actuator                                                                             greater travel in a reduced chip area.                                                         ♦ Reduces chip area                                                            implementations due to extreme                                   ♦ Planar implementations                                                       fabrication difficulty in other                                  relatively easy to fabricate.                                                                orientations.                              Flexure bend                                                                         A bend actuator has a small region                                                             ♦ Simple means of increasing                                                   ♦ Care must be taken                                             not to exceed   ♦ IJ10,                                                          IJ19, IJ33                 actuator                                                                             near the fixture point, which flexes                                                           travel of a bend actuator                                                                    the elastic limit in the flexure area            much more readily than the    ♦ Stress distribution                                            is very uneven                                   remainder of the actuator. The                                                                               ♦ Difficult to                                                   accurately model with                            actuator flexing is effectively                                                                              finite element analysis                          converted from an even coiling to an                                           angular bend, resulting in greater                                             travel of the actuator tip.                                              Catch The actuator controls a small catch.                                                           ♦ Very low actuator                                                            ♦ Complex                                                                        ♦ IJ10             The catch either enables or disables                                                           ♦ Very small actuator                                                          ♦ Requires external                                              force                                            movement of an ink pusher that is                                                                            ♦ Unsuitable for                                                 pigmented inks                                   controlled in a bulk manner.                                             Gears Gears can be used to increase travel                                                           ♦ Low force, low travel                                                        ♦ Moving parts are                                               required        ♦ IJ13             at the expense of duration. Circular                                                           actuators can be used                                                                        ♦ Several actuator                                               cycles are                                       gears, rack and pinion, ratchets, and                                                          ♦ Can be fabricated                                                            required                                         other gearing methods can be used.                                                             standard surface MEMS                                                                        ♦ More complex drive                                             electronics                                                      processes     ♦ Complex construction                                           ♦ Friction, friction,                                            and wear are                                                                   possible                                   Buckle plate                                                                         A buckle plate can be used to change                                                           ♦ Very fast movement                                                           ♦ Must stay within                                               elastic limits of                                                                              ♦ S.                                                             Hirata et al, "An                a slow actuator-into a fast motion. It                                                         achievable    the materials for long device                                                                  Ink-jet Head . . .                                                             ",                               can also convert a high force, low                                                                           ♦ High stresses                                                  involved        Proc. IEEE MEMS,                 travel actuator into a high travel,                                                                          ♦ Generally high power                                           requirement     Feb. 1996, pp 418-               medium force motion.                          423.                                                                           ♦ IJ18,                                                          IJ27                       Tapered                                                                              A tapered magnetic pole can increase                                                           ♦ Linearizes the magnetic                                                      ♦ Complex                                                                        ♦ IJ14       magnetic                                                                             travel at the expense of force.                                                                force/distance curve                                     pole                                                                           Lever A lever and fulcrum is used to                                                                 ♦ Matches low travel                                                           ♦ High stress around                                             the fulcrum     ♦ IJ32,                                                          IJ36, IJ37                       transform a motion with small travel                                                           with higher travel                                             and high force into a motion with                                                              requirements                                                   longer travel and lower force. The                                                             ♦ Fulcrum area has no linear                     lever can also reverse the direction of                                                        movement, and can be used                                      travel.         for a fluid seal                                         Rotary                                                                               The actuator is connected to a rotary                                                          ♦ High mechanical advantage                                                    ♦ Complex                                                                        ♦ IJ28       impeller                                                                             impeller. A small angular deflection                                                           ♦ The ratio of force to                                                        ♦ Unsuitable for                                                 pigmented inks                                   of the actuator results in a rotation of                                                       of the actuator can be                                         the impeller vanes, which push the                                                             matched to the nozzle                                          ink against stationary vanes and out                                                           requirements by varying the                                    of the nozzle.  number of impeller vanes                                 Acoustic                                                                             A refractive or diffractive (e.g. zone                                                         ♦ No moving parts                                                              ♦ Large area                                                                     ♦ 1993                                                           Hadimioglu et              lens  plate) acoustic lens is used to                                                                              ♦ Only relevant for                                              acoustic ink jets                                                                              al, EUP 550,192                  concentrate sound waves.                      ♦ 1993                                                           Elrod et al, EUP                                                               572,220                    Sharp A sharp point is used to concentrate                                                           ♦ Simple construction                                                          ♦ Difficult to                                                   fabricate using ♦                                                                Tone-jet                   conductive                                                                           an electrostatic field.       standard VLSI processes for a surface      point                               ejecting ink-jet                                                               ♦ Only relevant for                                              electrostatic ink                                                              jets                                       __________________________________________________________________________

    __________________________________________________________________________     ACTUATOR MOTION                                                                Description           Advantages   Disadvantages    Examples                   __________________________________________________________________________     Volume                                                                               The volume of the actuator changes,                                                            ♦ Simple construction in                                                      ♦ High energy is                                                 typically required to                                                                           ♦                                                                Hewlett-Packard            expansion                                                                            pushing the ink in all directions.                                                             case of thermal inkjet                                                                      achieve volume expansion. This                                                                  Thermal Inkjet                                                to thermal stress, cavitation,                                                                  ♦ Canon                                                          Bubblejet                                                     kogation in thermal ink jet                                                    implementations                             Linear,                                                                              The actuator moves in a direction                                                              ♦ Efficient coupling to                                                       ♦ High fabrication                                               complexity may be                                                                               ♦ IJ01,                                                          IJ02, IJ04, IJ07           normal to                                                                            normal to the print head surface. The                                                          drops ejected normal to the                                                                 required to achieve perpendicular                                                               ♦ IJ11,                                                          IJ14                       chip surface                                                                         nozzle is typically in the line of                                                             surface      motion                                            movement.                                                                Parallel                                                                             The actuator moves parallel to the                                                             ♦ Suitable for planar                                                         ♦ Fabrication                                                                     ♦ IJ12,                                                          IJ13, IJ15, IJ33,          to chip                                                                              print head surface. Drop ejection                                                              fabrication  ♦ Friction                                                                        ♦ IJ34,                                                          IJ35, IJ36                 surface                                                                              may still be normal to the surface.                                                                         ♦ Stiction                    Membrane                                                                             An actuator with a high force but                                                              ♦ The effective area of                                                       ♦ Fabrication                                                                     ♦ 1982                                                           Howkins U.S.               push  small area is used to push a stiff                                                             actuator becomes the                                                                        ♦ Actuator                                                                        Pat. No. 4,459,601               membrane that is in contact with the                                                           membrane area                                                                               ♦ Difficulty of                                                  integration in a VLSI                             ink.                         process                                     Rotary                                                                               The actuator causes the rotation of                                                            ♦ Rotary levers may be                                                        ♦ Device                                                                          ♦ IJ05,                                                          IJ08, IJ13, IJ28                 some element, such a grill or                                                                  to increase travel                                                                          ♦ May have friction at a                                         pivot point                                       impeller        ♦ Small chip area                                                requirements                                             Bend  The actuator bends when energized.                                                             ♦ A very small change                                                         ♦ Requires the actuator                                          to be made       ♦ 1970                                                           Kyser et al U.S.                 This may be due to differential                                                                dimensions can be                                                                           from at least two distinct layers; or                                          to               Pat. No. 3,946,398               thermal expansion, piezoelectric                                                               converted to a large motion.                                                                have a thermal difference across                                                                ♦ 1973                                                           Stemme U.S.                      expansion, magnetostriction, or other                                                                       actuator         Pat. No. 3,747,120               form of relative dimensional change.          ♦ IJ03,                                                          IJ09, IJ10, IJ19                                                               ♦ IJ23,                                                          IJ24, IJ25, 1129                                                               ♦ IJ30,                                                          IJ31, IJ33, IJ34                                                               ♦ IJ35       Swivel                                                                               The actuator swivels around a central                                                          ♦ Allows operation where                                                      ♦ Inefficient coupling                                           to the ink motion                                                                               ♦ IJ06             pivot. This motion is suitable where                                                           net linear force on the                                        there are opposite forces applied to                                                           paddle is zero                                                 opposite sides of the paddle, e.g.                                                             ♦ Small chip area                                Lorenz force.   requirements                                             Straighten                                                                           The actuator is normally bent, and                                                             ♦ Can be used with shape                                                      ♦ Requires careful                                               balance of stresses                                                                             ♦ IJ26,                                                          IJ32                             straightens when energized.                                                                    memory alloys where the                                                                     to ensure that the quiescent bend is                              austenic phase is planar                                                                    accurate                                    Double bend                                                                          The actuator bends in one direction                                                            ♦ One actuator can be used                                                    ♦ Difficult to make the                                          drops ejected    ♦ IJ36,                                                          IJ37, IJ38                       when one element is energized, and                                                             power two nozzles.                                                                          by both bend directions identical.                bends the other way when another                                                               ♦ Reduced chip size.                                                          ♦ A small efficiency                                             loss compared to                                  element is energized.                                                                          ♦ Not sensitive to ambient                                                    equivalent single bend actuators.                                 temperature                                              Shear Energizing the actuator causes a                                                               ♦ Can increase the effective                                                  ♦ Not readily applicable                                         to other         ♦ 1985                                                           Fishbeck U.S.                    shear motion in the actuator material.                                                         travel of piezoelectric                                                                     actuator mechanisms                                                                             Pat. No. 4,584,590                               actuators                                                Radial                                                                               The actuator squeezes an ink                                                                   ♦ Relatively easy to                                                          ♦ High force                                                                      ♦ 1970                                                           Zoltan U.S.                constriction                                                                         reservoir, forcing ink from a                                                                  single nozzles from glass                                                                   ♦ Inefficient                                                                     Pat. No. 3,683,212               constricted nozzle.                                                                            tubing as macroscopic                                                                       ♦ Difficult to integrate                                         with VLSI                                                         structures   processes                                   Coil/uncoil                                                                          A coiled actuator uncoils or coils                                                             ♦ Easy to fabricate as                                                        ♦ Difficult to fabricate                                         for non-planar   ♦ IJ17,                                                          IJ21, IJ34, IJ35                 more tightly. The motion of the free                                                           planar VLSI process                                                                         devices                                           end of the actuator ejects the ink.                                                            ♦ Small area required,                                                        ♦ Poor out-of-plane                                              stiffness                                                         therefore low cost                                       Bow   The actuator bows (or buckles) in the                                                          ♦ Can increase the speed                                                      ♦ Maximum travel is                                              constrained      ♦ IJ16,                                                          IJ18, IJ27                       middle when energized.                                                                         travel       ♦ High force required                               ♦ Mechanically rigid                       Push-Pull                                                                            Two actuators control a shutter. One                                                           ♦ The structure is pinned                                                     ♦ Not readily suitable                                           for inkjets which                                                                               ♦ IJ18             actuator pulls the shutter, and the                                                            both ends, so has a high                                                                    directly push the ink                             other pushes it.                                                                               out-of-plane rigidity                                    Curl inwards                                                                         A set of actuators curl inwards to                                                             ♦ Good fluid flow to                                                          ♦ Design                                                                          ♦ IJ20,                                                          IJ42                             reduce the volume of ink that they                                                             region behind the actuator                                     enclose.        increases efficiency                                     Curl  A set of actuators curl outwards,                                                              ♦ Relatively simple                                                           ♦ Relatively large chip                                          area             ♦ IJ43       outwards                                                                             pressurizing ink in a chamber                                                                  construction                                                   surrounding the actuators, and                                                 expelling ink from a nozzle in the                                             chamber.                                                                 Iris  Multiple vanes enclose a volume of                                                             ♦ High efficiency                                                             ♦ High fabrication                                               complexity       ♦ IJ22             ink. These simultaneously rotate,                                                              ♦ Small chip area                                                             ♦ Not suitable for                                               pigmented inks                                    reducing the volume between the                                                vanes.                                                                   Acoustic                                                                             The actuator vibrates at a high                                                                ♦ The actuator can be                                                         ♦ Large area required                                            for efficient    ♦ 1993                                                           Hadimioglu et              vibration                                                                            frequency.      physically distant from the                                                                 operation at useful frequencies                                                                 al, EUP 550,192                                  ink          ♦ Acoustic coupling and                                          crosstalk        ♦ 1993                                                           Elrod et al, EUP                                              ♦ Complex drive                                                  circuitry        572,220                                                       ♦ Poor control of drop                                           volume and                                                                     position                                    None  In various ink jet designs the actuator                                                        ♦ No moving parts                                                             ♦ Various other                                                  tradeoffs are required                                                                          ♦                                                                Silverbrook, EP 0771             does not move.               to eliminate moving parts                                                                       658 A2 and related                                                             patent applications                                                            ♦                                                                Tone-jet                   __________________________________________________________________________

    __________________________________________________________________________     NOZZLE REFILL METHOD                                                           Nozzle refill                                                                  method                                                                               Description     Advantages   Disadvantages    Examples                   __________________________________________________________________________     Surface                                                                              After the actuator is energized, it                                                            ♦ Fabrication simplicity                                                      ♦ Low speed                                                                       ♦                                                                Thermal inkjet             tension                                                                              typically returns rapidly to its normal                                                        ♦ Operational simplicity                                                      ♦ Surface tension force                                          relatively small ♦                                                                Piezoelectric inkjet             position. This rapid return sucks in                                                                        compared to actuator                                                                            ♦                                                                IJ01-IJ07, IJ10-IJ14             air through the nozzle opening. The                                                                         ♦ Long refill time                                               usually dominates                                                                               ♦ IJ16,                                                          IJ20, IJ22-IJ45                  ink surface tension at the nozzle then                                                                      the total repetition rate                         exerts a small force restoring the                                             meniscus to a minimum area.                                              Shuttered                                                                            Ink to the nozzle chamber is                                                                   ♦ High speed                                                                  ♦ Requires common ink                                            pressure         ♦ IJ08,                                                          IJ13, IJ15, IJ17           oscillating                                                                          provided at a pressure that oscillates                                                         ♦ Low actuator energy, as                                                     oscillator       ♦ IJ18,                                                          IJ19, IJ21                 ink pressure                                                                         at twice the drop ejection frequency.                                                          actuator need only open or                                                                  ♦ May not be suitable                                            for pigmented                                     When a drop is to be ejected, the                                                              close the shutter, instead of                                                               inks                                              shutter is opened for 3 half cycles:                                                           ejecting the ink drop                                          drop ejection, actuator return, and                                            refill.                                                                  Refill                                                                               After the main actuator has ejected a                                                          ♦ High speed, as the nozzle                                                   ♦ Requires two                                                   independent actuators                                                                           ♦ IJ09       actuator                                                                             drop a second (refill) actuator is                                                             actively refilled                                                                           per nozzle                                        energized. The refill actuator pushes                                          ink into the nozzle chamber. The                                               refill actuator returns slowly, to                                             prevent its return from emptying the                                           chamber again.                                                           Positive ink                                                                         The ink is held a slight positive                                                              ♦ High refill rate, therefore                                                 ♦ Surface spill must be                                          prevented        ♦                                                                Silverbrook, EP 0771       pressure                                                                             pressure. After the ink drop is                                                                high drop repetition rate is                                                                ♦ Highly hydrophobic                                             print head       658 A2 and related               ejected, the nozzle chamber fills                                                              possible     surfaces are required                                                                           patent applications              quickly as surface tension and ink            ♦                                                                Alternative for:                 pressure both operate to refill the           ♦                                                                IJ01-IJ07, IJ10-IJ14             nozzle.                                       ♦ IJ16,                                                          IJ20,                      __________________________________________________________________________                                                         IJ22-IJ45             

    __________________________________________________________________________     METHOD OF RESTRICTING BACK-FLOW THROUGH INLET                                  Description           Advantages   Disadvantages    Examples                   __________________________________________________________________________     Long inlet                                                                           The ink inlet channel to the nozzle                                                            ♦ Design simplicity                                                           ♦ Restricts refill                                                                ♦                                                                Thermal inkjet             channel                                                                              chamber is made long and relatively                                                            ♦ Operational simplicity                                                      ♦ May result in a                                                relatively large chip                                                                           ♦                                                                Piezoelectric inkjet             narrow, relying on viscous drag to                                                             ♦ Reduces crosstalk                                                           area             ♦ IJ42,                                                          IJ43                             reduce inlet back-flow.      ♦ Only partially                                                 effective                                   Positive ink                                                                         The ink is under a positive pressure,                                                          ♦ Drop selection and                                                          ♦ Requires a method                                              (such as a nozzle                                                                               ♦                                                                Silverbrook, EP 0771       pressure                                                                             so that in the quiescent state some of                                                         separation forces can be                                                                    rim or effective hydrophobizing,                                                                658 A2 and related               the ink drop already protrudes from                                                            reduced      both) to prevent flooding of                                                                    patent applications              the nozzle.     ♦ Fast refill time                                                            ejection surface of the print                                                                   ♦                                                                Possible operation                                                             of                               This reduces the pressure in the              the following:                   nozzle chamber which is required to           ♦                                                                IJ01-IJ07, IJ09-IJ12             eject a certain volume of ink. The            ♦ IJ14,                                                          IJ16, IJ20, IJ22,                reduction in chamber pressure results         ♦                                                                IJ23-IJ34, IJ36-IJ41             in a reduction in ink pushed out              ♦ IJ44             through the inlet.                                                       Baffle                                                                               One or more baffles are placed in the                                                          ♦ The refill rate is not                                                      ♦ Design                                                                          ♦ HP                                                             Thermal Ink Jet                  inlet ink flow. When the actuator is                                                           restricted as the long inlet                                                                ♦ May increase                                                   fabrication complexity                                                                          ♦                                                                Tektronix                        energized, the rapid ink movement                                                              method.      (e.g. Tektronix hot melt                                                                        piezoelectric ink                                                              jet                              creates eddies which restrict the flow                                                         ♦ Reduces crosstalk                                                           print heads).                                     through the inlet. The slower refill                                           process is unrestricted, and does not                                          result in eddies.                                                        Flexible flap                                                                        In this method recently disclosed by                                                           ♦ Significantly reduces                                                       ♦ Not applicable to most                                         inkjet           ♦                                                                Canon                      restricts inlet                                                                      Canon, the expanding actuator                                                                  flow for edge-shooter                                                                       configurations                                    (bubble) pushes on a flexible flap                                                             thermal ink jet devices                                                                     ♦ Increased fabrication                                          complexity                                        that restricts the inlet.    ♦ Inelastic deformation                                          of polymer flap                                                                results in creep over extended use          Inlet filter                                                                         A filter is located between the ink                                                            ♦ Additional advantage of                                                     ♦ Restricts refill                                                                ♦ IJ04,                                                          IJ12, IJ24, IJ27                 inlet and the nozzle chamber. The                                                              filtration   ♦ May result in complex                                          construction     ♦ IJ29,                                                          IJ30                             filter has a multitude of small holes                                                          ♦ Ink filter may be fabricated                   or slots, restricting ink flow. The                                                            with no additional process                                     filter also removes particles which                                                            steps                                                          may block the nozzle.                                                    Small inlet                                                                          The ink inlet channel to the nozzle                                                            ♦ Design simplicity                                                           ♦ Restricts refill                                                                ♦ IJ02,                                                          IJ37, IJ44                 compared to                                                                          chamber has a substantially smaller                                                                         ♦ May result in a                                                relatively large chip                       nozzle                                                                               cross section than that of the nozzle,                                                                      area                                              resulting in easier ink egress out of                                                                       ♦ Only partially                                                 effective                                         the nozzle than out of the inlet.                                        Inlet shutter                                                                        A secondary actuator controls the                                                              ♦ Increases speed of the                                                      ♦ Requires separate                                              refill actuator and                                                                             ♦ IJ09             position of a shutter, closing off the                                                         jet print head operation                                                                    drive circuit                                     ink inlet when the main actuator is                                            energized.                                                               The inlet is                                                                         The method avoids the problem of                                                               ♦ Back-flow problem                                                           ♦ Requires careful                                               design to minimize                                                                              ♦ IJ01,                                                          IJ03, IJ05, IJ06           located                                                                              inlet back-flow by arranging the ink-                                                          eliminated   the negative pressure behind the                                               paddle           ♦ IJ07,                                                          IJ10, IJ11, IJ14           behind                                                                               pushing surface of the actuator               ♦ IJ16,                                                          IJ22, IJ23, IJ25           the ink-                                                                             between the inlet and the nozzle.             ♦ IJ28,                                                          IJ31, IJ32, IJ33           pushing                                             ♦ IJ34,                                                          IJ35, IJ36, IJ39           surface                                             ♦ IJ40,                                                          IJ41                       Part of the                                                                          The actuator and a wall of the ink                                                             ♦ Significant reductions                                                      ♦ Small increase in                                              fabrication      ♦ IJ07,                                                          IJ20, IJ26, IJ38           actuator                                                                             chamber are arranged so that the                                                               back-flow can be achieved                                                                   complexity                                  moves to                                                                             motion of the actuator closes off the                                                          ♦ Compact designs possible                 shut off                                                                             inlet.                                                                   the inlet                                                                      Nozzle                                                                               In some configurations of ink jet,                                                             ♦ Ink back-flow problem                                                       ♦ None related to ink                                            back-flow on     ♦                                                                Silverbrook, EP 0771       actuator does                                                                        there is no expansion or movement                                                              eliminated   actuation        658 A2 and related         not result in                                                                        of an actuator which may cause ink            patent applications        ink   back-flow through the inlet.                  ♦                                                                Valve-jet                  back-flow                                           ♦                                                                Tone-jet                                                                       ♦ IJ08,                                                          IJ13, IJ15, IJ17                                                               ♦ IJ18,                                                          IJ19,                      __________________________________________________________________________                                                         IJ21                  

    __________________________________________________________________________     NOZZLE CLEARING METHOD                                                         Description           Advantages    Disadvantages   Examples                   __________________________________________________________________________     Normal                                                                               All of the nozzles are fired                                                                   ♦ No added complexity on                                                       ♦ May not be sufficient                                          to displace     ♦ Most                                                           ink jet systems            nozzle                                                                               periodically, before the ink has a                                                             print head    dried ink       ♦                                                                IJ01-IJ07, IJ09-IJ12       firing                                                                               chance to dry. When not in use the            ♦ IJ14,                                                          IJ16, IJ20, IJ22                 nozzles are sealed (capped) against           ♦                                                                IJ23-IJ34, IJ36-IJ45             air.                                                                           The nozzle firing is usually                                                   performed during a special clearing                                            cycle, after first moving the print                                            head to a cleaning station.                                              Extra power                                                                          In systems which heat the ink, but do                                                          ♦ Can be highly effective                                                      ♦ Requires higher drive                                          voltage for     ♦                                                                Silverbrook, EP 0771       to ink heater                                                                        not boil it under normal situations,                                                           the heater is adjacent to the                                                                clearing        ♦ 658                                                            A2 and related                   nozzle clearing can be achieved by                                                             nozzle        ♦ May require larger                                             drive transistors                                                                              patent applications              over-powering the heater and boiling                                           ink at the nozzle.                                                       Rapid The actuator is fired in rapid                                                                 ♦ Does not require extra                                                       ♦ Effectiveness depends                                          substantially   ♦ May                                                            be used with:              succession of                                                                        succession. In some configurations,                                                            circuits on the print head                                                                   upon the configuration of the                                                                  ♦                                                                IJ01-IJ07, IJ09-IJ11       actuator                                                                             this may cause heat build-up at the                                                            ♦ Can be readily controlled                                                    nozzle          ♦ IJ14,                                                          IJ16, IJ20, IJ22           pulses                                                                               nozzle which boils the ink, clearing                                                           and initiated by digital logic                                                                               ♦                                                                IJ23-IJ25, IJ27-IJ34             the nozzle. In other situations, it may       ♦                                                                IJ36-IJ45                        cause sufficient vibrations to                                                 dislodge clogged nozzles.                                                Extra power                                                                          Where an actuator is not normally                                                              ♦ A simple solution                                                            ♦ Not suitable where                                             there is a hard ♦ May                                                            be used with:              to ink                                                                               driven to the limit of its motion,                                                             applicable    limit to actuator movement                                                                     ♦ IJ03,                                                          IJ09, IJ16, IJ20           pushing                                                                              nozzle clearing may be assisted by            ♦ IJ23,                                                          IJ24, IJ25, IJ27           actuator                                                                             providing an enhanced drive signal            ♦ IJ29,                                                          IJ30, IJ31, IJ32                 to the actuator.                              ♦ IJ39,                                                          IJ40, IJ41, IJ42                                                               ♦ IJ43,                                                          IJ44, IJ45                 Acoustic                                                                             An ultrasonic wave is applied to the                                                           ♦ A high nozzle cleaning                                                       ♦ High implementation                                            cost if         ♦ IJ08,                                                          IJ13, IJ15, IJ17           resonance                                                                            ink chamber. This wave is of an                                                                capability can be achieved                                                                   system does not already include                                                                ♦ IJ18,                                                          IJ19, IJ21                       appropriate amplitude and frequency                                                            ♦ May be implemented                                                           acoustic actuator                                to cause sufficient force at the nozzle                                                        very low cost in systems                                       to clear blockages. This is easiest to                                                         which already include                                          achieve if the ultrasonic wave is at a                                                         acoustic actuators                                             resonant frequency of the ink cavity.                                    Nozzle                                                                               A microfabricated plate is pushed                                                              ♦ Can clear severely                                                           ♦ Accurate mechanical                                            alignment is    ♦                                                                Silverbrook EP 0771        clearing                                                                             against the nozzles. The plate has a                                                           nozzles       required        658 A2 and related         plate post for every nozzle. The array of                                                                          ♦ Moving parts are                                               required        patent applications              posts                         ♦ There is risk of                                               damage to the                                                                  nozzles                                                                        ♦ Accurate fabrication                                           is required                                Ink pressure                                                                         The pressure of the ink is                                                                     ♦ May be effective where                                                       ♦ Requires pressure                                              pump or other   ♦ May                                                            be used with all           pulse temporarily increased so that ink                                                              other methods cannot be                                                                      pressure actuator                                                                              IJ series ink jets               streams from all of the nozzles. This                                                          used          ♦ Expensive                        may be used in conjunction with                                                                              ♦ Wasteful of ink                  actuator energizing.                                                     Print head                                                                           A flexible `blade` is wiped across the                                                         ♦ Effective for planar                                                         ♦ Difficult to use if                                            print head      ♦ Many                                                           ink jet systems            wiper print head surface. The blade is                                                               head surfaces surface is non-planar or very fragile            usually fabricated from a flexible                                                             ♦ Low cost                                                                     ♦ Requires mechanical                                            parts                                            polymer, e.g. rubber or synthetic                                                                            ♦ Blade can wear out in                                          high volume                                      elastomer.                    print systems                              Separate ink                                                                         A separate heater is provided at the                                                           ♦ Can be effective where                                                       ♦ Fabrication                                                    complexity      ♦ Can                                                            be used with               boiling                                                                              nozzle although the normal drop e-                                                             other nozzle clearing         many IJ series ink         heater                                                                               ection mechanism does not require it.                                                          methods cannot be used        jets                             The heaters do not require individual                                                          ♦ Can be implemented at no                       drive circuits, as many nozzles can                                                            additional cost in some                                        be cleared simultaneously, and no                                                              inkjet configurations                                          imaging is required.                                                     __________________________________________________________________________

    __________________________________________________________________________     NOZZLE PLATE CONSTRUCTION                                                      Description           Advantages  Disadvantages     Examples                   __________________________________________________________________________     Electro-                                                                             A nozzle plate is separately                                                                   ♦ Fabrication simplicity                                                     ♦ High temperatures and                                          pressures are     ♦                                                                Hewlett Packard            formed                                                                               fabricated from electroformed nickel,                                                                      required to bond nozzle                                                                          Thermal Inkjet             nickel                                                                               and bonded to the print head chip.                                                                         ♦ Minimum thickness                                              constraints                                                                    ♦ Differential thermal                                           expansion                                    Laser ablated                                                                        Individual nozzle holes are ablated                                                            ♦ No masks required                                                          ♦ Each hole must be                                              individually formed                                                                              ♦ Canon                                                          Bubblejet                  or drilled                                                                           by an intense UV laser in a nozzle                                                             ♦ Can be quite fast                                                          ♦ Special equipment                                              required          ♦ 1988                                                           Sercel et al.,             polymer                                                                              plate, which is typically a polymer                                                            ♦ Some control over                                                          ♦ Slow where there are                                           many thousands    SPIE, Vol. 998                   such as polyimide or polysulphone                                                              nozzle profile is possible                                                                 of nozzles per print head                                                                        Excimer Beam                                     ♦ Equipment required                                                         ♦ May produce thin burrs                                         at exit holes     Applications, pp.                                                              76-                                              relatively low cost           83                                                                             ♦ 1993                                                           Watanabe et al.,                                                               U.S. Pat No.                                                                   5,208,604                  Silicon                                                                              A separate nozzle plate is                                                                     ♦ High accuracy is                                                           ♦ Two part                                                                         ♦ K.                                                             Bean, IEEE                 micro-                                                                               micromachined from single crystal                                                              attainable  ♦ High cost                                                                        Transactions on            machined                                                                             silicon, and bonded to the print head                                                                      ♦ Requires precision                                             alignment         Electron Devices,                wafer.                      ♦ Nozzles may be clogged                                         by adhesive       Vol. ED-25, No. 10,                                                            1978, pp 1185-1195                                                             ♦ Xerox                                                          1990 Hawkins                                                                   et al., U.S. Pat.                                                              No. 4,899,181              Glass Fine glass capillaries are drawn from                                                          ♦ No expensive equipment                                                     ♦ Very small nozzle sizes                                        are difficult to  ♦ 1970                                                           Zoltan U.S.                capillaries                                                                          glass tubing. This method has been                                                             required    form              Pat. No. 3,683,212               used for making individual nozzles,                                                            ♦ Simple to make single                                                      ♦ Not suited for mass                                            production                                         but is difficult to use for bulk                                                               nozzles                                                        manufacturing of print heads with                                              thousands of nozzles.                                                    Monolithic,                                                                          The nozzle plate is deposited as a                                                             ♦ High accuracy (<1                                                          ♦ Requires sacrificial                                           layer under the   ♦                                                                Silverbrook, EP 0771       surface                                                                              layer using standard VLSI deposition                                                           ♦ Monolithic                                                                 nozzle plate to form the                                                                         658 A2 and related         micro-                                                                               techniques. Nozzles are etched in the                                                          ♦ Low cost                                                                   chamber           patent applications        machined                                                                             nozzle plate using VLSI lithography                                                            ♦ Existing processes                                                         ♦ Surface may be fragile                                         to the touch      ♦ IJ01,                                                          IJ02, IJ04, IJ11           using VLSI                                                                           and etching.    be used                       ♦ IJ12,                                                          IJ17, IJ18, IJ20           lithographic                                        ♦ IJ22,                                                          IJ24, IJ27, IJ28           processes                                           ♦ IJ29,                                                          IJ30, IJ31, IJ32                                                               ♦ IJ33,                                                          IJ34, IJ36, IJ37                                                               ♦ IJ38,                                                          IJ39, IJ40, IJ41                                                               ♦ IJ42,                                                          IJ43, IJ44                 Monolithic,                                                                          The nozzle plate is a buried etch stop                                                         ♦ High accuracy (<1                                                          ♦ Requires long etch                                             times             ♦ IJ03,                                                          IJ05, IJ06, IJ07           etched                                                                               in the wafer. Nozzle chambers are                                                              ♦ Monolithic                                                                 ♦ Requires a support                                             wafer             ♦ IJ08,                                                          IJ09, IJ10, IJ13           through                                                                              etched in the front of the wafer, and                                                          ♦ Low cost      ♦ IJ14,                                                          IJ15, IJ16, IJ19           substrate                                                                            the wafer is thinned from the back                                                             ♦ No differential expansion                                                                    ♦ IJ21,                                                          IJ23, IJ25, IJ26                 side. Nozzles are then etched in the                                           etch stop layer.                                                         No nozzle                                                                            Various methods have been tried to                                                             ♦ No nozzles to become                                                       ♦ Difficult to control                                           drop position     ♦ Ricoh                                                          1995 Sekiya et             plate eliminate the nozzles entirely, to                                                             clogged     accurately        al U.S. Pat. No.                 prevent nozzle clogging. These                                                                             ♦ Crosstalk                                                                        5,412,413                        include thermal bubble mechanisms             ♦ 1993                                                           Hadimioglu et                    and acoustic lens mechanisms                  al EUP 550,192                                                                 ♦ 1993                                                           Elrod et al EUP                                                                572,220                    Trough                                                                               Each drop ejector has a trough                                                                 ♦ Reduced manufacturing                                                      ♦ Drop firing direction                                          is sensitive to   ♦ IJ35             through which a paddle moves.                                                                  complexity  wicking.                                           There is no nozzle plate.                                                                      ♦ Monolithic                               Nozzle slit                                                                          The elimination of nozzle holes and                                                            ♦ No nozzles to become                                                       ♦ Difficult to control                                           drop position     ♦ 1989                                                           Saito et al                instead of                                                                           replacement by a slit encompassing                                                             clogged     accurately        U.S. Pat. No.                                                                  4,799,068                  individual                                                                           many actuator positions reduces                                                                            ♦ Crosstalk problems           nozzles                                                                              nozzle clogging, but increases                                                 crosstalk due to ink surface waves                                       __________________________________________________________________________

    __________________________________________________________________________     DROP EJECTION DIRECTION                                                               Description     Advantages   Disadvantages   Examples                   __________________________________________________________________________     Edge (`edge                                                                           Ink flow is along the surface of the                                                           ♦ Simple construction                                                      ♦ Nozzles limited to                                                                ♦ Canon                                                          Bubblejet 1979             shooter`)                                                                              chip, and ink drops are ejected from                                                          ♦ No silicon etching                                                       ♦ High resolution is                                             difficult          Endo et al GB patent              the chip edge.  required  ♦ Fast color printing                                            requires one print head                                                                           2,007,162                                         ♦ Good heat sinking                                                         per color         ♦ Xerox                                                          heater-in-pit                                     via substrate                                                                            1990 Hawkins et al                                                   ♦ Mechanically strong                                                       U.S. Pat. No. 4,899,181                                              ♦ Ease of chip                                                            ♦ Tone-jet                                             handing                                                 Surface                                                                               Ink flow is along the surface of the                                                           ♦ No bulk silicon                                                           ♦ Maximum ink flow is                                           severely restricted                                                                               ♦                                                                Hewlett-Packard TIJ        (`roof    chip, and the ink drops are ejected                                                         etching required             1982 Vaught et al          shooter`)                                                                             from the chip surface, normal to the                                                           ♦ Silicon can make                                                                            U.S. Pat. No.                                                                  4,490,728                         plane of the chip. effective heat sink                                                                   ♦ IJ02, IJ11, IJ12, IJ20,                              ♦ Mechanical strength                                                                         IJ22                       Through chip,                                                                             Ink flow is through the chip, and ink                                                          ♦ High ink flow                                                             ♦ Requires bulk                                             silicon etching       ♦                                                             Silverbrook, EP            forward (`up                                                                             drops are ejected from the front                                                                     ♦ Suitable                                                                                         0771                                                             658 A2 and                 shooter`)                                                                                   surface of the chip.                                                                                          pagewidth print                                                                        related patent                                    ♦ High nozzle                                                                                 applications                                                                               packing                               density                                                                                                     ♦ IJ04,                                                          IJ17, IJ18,                                       therefore low                                                                                                          IJ24,                                                               IJ27-IJ45                                         manufacturing cost                                      Through chip,                                                                                Ink flow is through the chip, and ink                                                      ♦ High ink flow                                                             ♦ Requires wafer                                             thinning                                                                                          ♦ IJ01,                                                          IJ03, IJ05,                reverse (`down                                                                            drops are ejected from the rear                                                                    ♦ Suitable                                                              ♦ Requires special                                          handling during        IJ06, IJ07,                                                                IJ08,                      shooter`)                                                                                      surface of the chip.                                                                           pagewidth print heads                                                                manufacture                                                                                            IJ09, IJ10,                                                          IJ13,                                                           ♦ High                                                                                  IJ14, IJ15,                                                            IJ16,                                                            cking density                                                                                       IJ19, IJ21,                                                             IJ23,                                                             herefore low                                                                                      IJ25, IJ26                                                  manufacturing cost                      Through                                                                                    Ink flow is through the actuator,                                                                             ♦ Pagewidth                                            print heads require several                                                                         ♦                                                              Epson Stylus               actuator                                                                                  which is not fabricated as part of                                                             piezoelectric print                                                                      thousand connections to drive                                              circuits                ♦                                                           Tektronix hot melt                      the same substrate as the drive                                                               heads                                                                                     ♦ Cannot be                                                manufactured in standard                                                                               piezoelectric                                                             ink jets                                      transistors.                                                                              CMOS fabs                                                                                ♦ Complex assembly                                        required                                      __________________________________________________________________________

    __________________________________________________________________________     INK TYPE                                                                              Description     Advantages   Disadvantages   Examples                   __________________________________________________________________________     Aqueous, dye                                                                          Water based ink which typically                                                                ♦ Environmentally friendly                                                    ♦ Slow                                                                           ♦ Most                                                           existing inkjets                  contains: water, dye, surfactant,                                                              ♦ No odor                                                                     ♦ Corrosive                                                                      ♦ All                                                            IJ series ink jets                humectant, and biocide.      ♦ Bleeds on                                                                      ♦                                                                Silverbrook, EP 0771              Modem ink dyes have high water-                                                                             ♦ May                                                                            658 A2 and related                fastness, light fastness     ♦ Cockles                                                                        patent applications        Aqueous,                                                                              Water based ink which typically                                                                ♦ Environmentally friendly                                                    ♦ Slow                                                                           ♦ IJ02,                                                          IJ04, IJ21, IJ26           pigment                                                                               contains: water, pigment, surfactant,                                                          ♦ No odor                                                                     ♦ Corrosive                                                                      ♦ IJ27,                                                          IJ30                              humectant, and biocide.                                                                        ♦ Reduced bleed                                                               ♦ Pigment may clog                                               nozzles         ♦                                                                Silverbrook, EP 0771              Pigments have all advantage in                                                                 ♦ Reduced wicking                                                             ♦ Pigment may clog                                               actuator        658 A2 and related                reduced bleed, wicking and                                                                     ♦ Reduced strikethrough                                                       mechanisms      patent applications               strikethrough.               ♦ Cockles                                                                        ♦                                                                Piezoelectric                                                                  ink-jets                                                                       ♦                                                                Thermal inkjets                                                                (with significant                                                              restrictions)              Methyl Ethyl                                                                          MEK is a highly volatile solvent                                                               ♦ Very fast drying                                                            ♦ Odorous                                                                        ♦ All                                                            IJ series ink jets         Ketone (MEK)                                                                          used for industrial printing on                                                                ♦ Prints on various                                                           ♦ Flammable                         difficult surfaces such as aluminum                                                            such as metals and plastics                                    cans.                                                                   Alcohol                                                                               Alcohol based inks can be used                                                                 ♦ Fast drying                                                                 ♦ Slight                                                                         ♦ All                                                            IJ series ink jets         (ethanol, 2-                                                                          where the printer must operate at                                                              ♦ Operates at sub-freezing                                                    ♦ Flammable                  butanol, and                                                                          temperatures below the freezing                                                                temperatures                                            others)                                                                               point of water. An example of this is                                                          ♦ Reduced paper cockle                           in-camera consumer photographic                                                                ♦ Low cost                                       printing.                                                               Phase change                                                                          The ink is solid at room temperature,                                                          ♦ No drying time- ink                                                         ♦ High                                                                           ♦                                                                Tektronix hot melt         (hot melt)                                                                            and is melted in the print head before                                                         instantly freezes on the                                                                    ♦ Printed ink typically                                          has a `waxy`    piezoelectric                                                                  inkjets                           jetting. Hot melt inks are usually                                                             print medium feel            ♦ 1989                                                           Nowak U.S.                        wax based, with a melting point                                                                ♦ Almost any print                                                            ♦ Printed pages may                                              `block`         Pat. No. 4,820,346                around 80° C. After jetting the ink                                                     can be used  ♦ Ink temperature may                                            be above the    ♦ All                                                            IJ series ink jets                freezes almost instantly upon                                                                  ♦ No paper cockle occurs                                                      curie point of permanent magnets                  contacting the print medium or a                                                               ♦ No wicking occurs                                                           ♦ Ink heaters consume                                            power                                             transfer roller.                                                                               ♦ No bleed occurs                                                             ♦ Long warm-up time                                 ♦ No strikethrough occurs                 Oil    Oil based inks are extensively used                                                            ♦ High solubility medium                                                      ♦ High viscosity: this                                           is a significant                                                                               ♦ All                                                            IJ series inkjets                 in offset printing. They have                                                                  some dyes    limitation for use in inkjets, which              advantages in improved                                                                         ♦ Does not cockle paper                                                       usually require a low viscosity. Some             characteristics on paper (especially                                                           ♦ Does not wick through                                                       short chain and multi-branched oils               no wicking or cockle). Oil soluble                                                             paper        have a sufficiently low viscosity.                dies and pigments are required.                                                                             ♦ Slow drying                Microemulsion                                                                         A microemulsion is a stable, self                                                              ♦ Stops ink bleed                                                             ♦ Viscosity higher than                                          water           ♦ All                                                            IJ series ink jets                forming emulsion of oil, water, and                                                            ♦ High dye solubility                                                         ♦ Cost is slightly                                               higher than water                                 surfactant. The characteristic drop                                                            ♦ Water, oil, and amphiphilic                                                 based ink                                         size is less than 100 nm, and is                                                               soluble dies can be used                                                                    ♦ High surfactant                                                concentration                                     determined by the preferred                                                                    ♦ Can stabilize pigment                                                       required (around 5%)                              curvature of the surfactant.                                                                   suspensions                                             __________________________________________________________________________

    ______________________________________                                         Australian                                                                     Provision-                                                                            Filing                                                                  al Number                                                                             Date     Title                                                          ______________________________________                                         PO7935 15-Jul-97                                                                               A Method of Manufacture of an Image                                            Creation Apparatus (IJM01)                                     PO7936 15-Jul-97                                                                               A Method of Manufacture of an Image Creation                                   Apparatus (IJM02)                                              PO7937 15-Jul-97                                                                               A Method of Manufacture of an Image Creation                                   Apparatus (IJM03)                                              PO8061 15-Jul-97                                                                               A Method of Manufacture of an Image Creation                                   Apparatus (IJM04)                                              PO8054 15-Jul-97                                                                               A Method of Manufacture of an Image Creation                                   Apparatus (IJM05)                                              PO8065 15-Jul-97                                                                               A Method of Manufacture of an Image Creation                                   Apparatus (IJM06)                                              PO8055 15-Jul-97                                                                               A Method of Manufacture of an Image Creation                                   Apparatus (IJM07)                                              PO8053 15-Jul-97                                                                               A Method of Manufacture of an Image Creation                                   Apparatus (IJM08)                                              PO8078 15-Jul-97                                                                               A Method of Manufacture of an Image Creation                                   Apparatus (IJM09)                                              PO7933 15-Jul-97                                                                               A Method of Manufacture of an Image Creation                                   Apparatus (IJM10)                                              PO7950 15-Jul-97                                                                               A Method of Manufacture of an Image Creation                                   Apparatus (IJM11)                                              PO7949 15-Jul-97                                                                               A Method of Manufacture of an Image Creation                                   Apparatus (IJM12)                                              PO8060 15-Jul-97                                                                               A Method of Manufacture of an Image Creation                                   Apparatus (IJM13)                                              PO8059 15-Jul-97                                                                               A Method of Manufacture of an Image Creation                                   Apparatus (IJM14)                                              PO8073 15-Jul-97                                                                               A Method of Manufacture of an Image Creation                                   Apparatus (IJM15)                                              PO8076 15-Jul-97                                                                               A Method of Manufacture of an Image Creation                                   Apparatus (IJM16)                                              PO8075 15-Jul-97                                                                               A Method of Manufacture of an Image Creation                                   Apparatus (IJM17)                                              PO8079 15-Jul-97                                                                               A Method of Manufacture of an Image Creation                                   Apparatus (IJM18)                                              PO8050 15-Jul-97                                                                               A Method of Manufacture of an Image Creation                                   Apparatus (IJM19)                                              PO8052 15-Jul-97                                                                               A Method of Manufacture of an Image Creation                                   Apparatus (IJM20)                                              PO7948 15-Jul-97                                                                               A Method of Manufacture of an Image Creation                                   Apparatus (IJM21)                                              PO7951 15-Jul-97                                                                               A Method of Manufacture of an Image Creation                                   Apparatus (IJM22)                                              PO8074 15-Jul-97                                                                               A Method of Manufacture of an Image Creation                                   Apparatus (IJM23)                                              PO7941 15-Jul-97                                                                               A Method of Manufacture of an Image Creation                                   Apparatus (IJM24)                                              PO8077 15-Jul-97                                                                               A Method of Manufacture of an Image Creation                                   Apparatus (IJM25)                                              PO8058 15-Jul-97                                                                               A Method of Manufacture of an Image Creation                                   Apparatus (IJM26)                                              PO8051 15-Jul-97                                                                               A Method of Manufacture of an Image Creation                                   Apparatus (IJM27)                                              PO8045 15-Jul-97                                                                               A Method of Manufacture of an Image Creation                                   Apparatus (IJM28)                                              PO7952 15-Jul-97                                                                               A Method of Manufacture of an Image Creation                                   Apparatus (IJM29)                                              PO8046 15-Jul-97                                                                               A Method of Manufacture of an Image Creation                                   Apparatus (IJM30)                                              PO8503 11-Aug-97                                                                               A Method of Manufacture of an Image Creation                                   Apparatus (IJM30a)                                             PO9390 23-Sep-97                                                                               A Method of Manufacture of an Image Creation                                   Apparatus (IJM31)                                              PO9392 23-Sep-97                                                                               A Method of Manufacture of an Image Creation                                   Apparatus (IJM32)                                              PP0889 12-Dec-97                                                                               A Method of Manufacture of an Image Creation                                   Apparatus (IJM35)                                              PP0887 12-Dec-97                                                                               A Method of Manufacture of an Image Creation                                   Apparatus (IJM36)                                              PP0882 12-Dec-97                                                                               A Method of Manufacture of an Image Creation                                   Apparatus (IJM37)                                              PP0874 12-Dec-97                                                                               A Method of Manufacture of an Image Creation                                   Apparatus (IJM38)                                              PP1396 19-Jan-98                                                                               A Method of Manufacture of an Image Creation                                   Apparatus (IJM39)                                              PP2591 25-Mar-98                                                                               A Method of Manufacture of an Image Creation                                   Apparatus (IJM41)                                              PP3989 9-Jun-98 A Method of Manufacturd of an Image Creation                                   Apparatus (IJM40)                                              PP3990 9-Jun-98 A Method of Manufacture of an Image Creation                                   Apparatus (IJM42)                                              PP3986 9-Jun-98 A Method of Manufacture of an Image Creation                                   Apparatus (IJM43)                                              PP3984 9-Jun-98 A Method of Manufacture of an Image Creation                                   Apparatus (IJM44)                                              PP3982 9-Jun-98 A Method of Manufacture of an Image Creation                                   Apparatus (IJM45)                                              ______________________________________                                    

    ______________________________________                                         Australian                                                                     Provisional                                                                    Number     Filing Date                                                                               Title                                                    ______________________________________                                         PO8003     15-Jul-97  Supply Method and Apparatus (F1)                         PO8005     15-Jul-97  Supply Method and Apparatus (F2)                         PO9404     23-Sep-97  A Device and Method (F3)                                 ______________________________________                                    

    ______________________________________                                         Australian                                                                     Provisional                                                                    Number     Filing Date                                                                               Title                                                    ______________________________________                                         PO7943     15-Jul-97  A device (MEMS01)                                        PO8006     15-Jul-97  A device (MEMS02)                                        PO8007     15-Jul-97  A device (MEMS03)                                        PO8008     15-Jul-97  A device (MEMS04)                                        PO8010     15-Jul-97  A device (MEMS05)                                        PO8011     15-Jul-97  A device (MEMS06)                                        PO7947     15-Jul-97  A device (MEMS07)                                        PO7945     15-Jul-97  A device (MEMS08)                                        PO7944     15-Jul-97  A device (MEMS09)                                        PO7946     15-Jul-97  A device (MEMS10)                                        PO9393     23-Sep-97  A Device and Method (MEMS11)                             PP0875     12-Dec-97  A Device (MEMS12)                                        PP0894     12-Dec-97  A Device and Method (MEMS13)                             ______________________________________                                    

    ______________________________________                                         Austral-                                                                       ian Pro-                                                                       visional                                                                             Filing                                                                   Number                                                                               Date     Title                                                           ______________________________________                                         PP0895                                                                               12-Dec-97                                                                               An Image Creation Method and Apparatus (IR01)                   PP0870                                                                               12-Dec-97                                                                               A Device and Method (IR02)                                      PP0869                                                                               12-Dec-97                                                                               A Device and Method (IR04)                                      PP0887                                                                               12-Dec-97                                                                               Image Creation Method and Apparatus (IR05)                      PP0885                                                                               12-Dec-97                                                                               An Image Production System (IR06)                               PP0884                                                                               12-Dec-97                                                                               Image Creation Method and Apparatus (IR10)                      PP0886                                                                               12-Dec-97                                                                               Image Creation Method and Apparatus (IR12)                      PP0871                                                                               12-Dec-97                                                                               A Device and Method (IR13)                                      PP0876                                                                               12-Dec-97                                                                               An Image Processing Method and Apparatus (IR14)                 PP0877                                                                               12-Dec-97                                                                               A Device and Method (IR16)                                      PP0878                                                                               12-Dec-97                                                                               A Device and Method (IR17)                                      PP0879                                                                               12-Dec-97                                                                               A Device and Method (IR18)                                      PP0883                                                                               12-Dec-97                                                                               A Device and Method (IR19)                                      PP0880                                                                               12-Dec-97                                                                               A Device and Method (IR20)                                      PP0881                                                                               12-Dec-97                                                                               A Device and Method (IR21)                                      ______________________________________                                    

    ______________________________________                                         Austra-                                                                        lian                                                                           Provis-                                                                        ional Filing                                                                   Number                                                                               Date     Title                                                           ______________________________________                                         PP2370                                                                               16-Mar-98                                                                               Data Processing Method and Apparatus (Dot01)                    PP2371                                                                               16-Mar-98                                                                               Data Processing Method and Apparatus (Dot02)                    ______________________________________                                    

    ______________________________________                                         Aus-                                                                           tralian                                                                        Provis-                                                                        ional Filing                                                                   Number                                                                               Date     Title                                                           ______________________________________                                         PO7991                                                                               15-Jul-97                                                                               Image Processing Method and Apparatus (ART01)                   PO8505                                                                               11-Aug-97                                                                               Image Processing Method and Apparatus (ART01a)                  PO7988                                                                               15-Jul-97                                                                               Image Processing Method and Apparatus (ART02)                   PO7993                                                                               15-Jul-97                                                                               Image Processing Method and Apparatus (ART03)                   PO8012                                                                               15-Jul-97                                                                               Image Processing Method and Apparatus (ART05)                   PO8017                                                                               15-Jul-97                                                                               Image Processing Method and Apparatus (ART06)                   PO8014                                                                               15-Jul-97                                                                               Media Device (ART07)                                            PO8025                                                                               15-Jul-97                                                                               Image Processing Method and Apparatus (ART08)                   PO8032                                                                               15-Jul-97                                                                               Image Processing Method and Apparatus (ART09)                   PO7999                                                                               15-Jul-97                                                                               Image Processing Method and Apparatus (ART10)                   PO7998                                                                               15-Jul-97                                                                               Image Processing Method and Apparatus (ART11)                   PO8031                                                                               15-Jul-97                                                                               Image Processing Method and Apparatus (ART12)                   PO8030                                                                               15-Jul-97                                                                               Media Device (ART13)                                            PO8498                                                                               11-Aug-97                                                                               Image Processing Method and Apparatus (ART14)                   PO7997                                                                               15-Jul-97                                                                               Media Device (ART15)                                            PO7979                                                                               15-Jul-97                                                                               Media Device (ART16)                                            PO8015                                                                               15-Jul-97                                                                               Media Device (ART17)                                            PO7978                                                                               15-Jul-97                                                                               Media Device (ART18)                                            PO7982                                                                               15-Jul-97                                                                               Data Processing Method and Apparatus (ART19)                    PO7989                                                                               15-Jul-97                                                                               Data Processing Method and Apparatus (ART20)                    PO8019                                                                               15-Jul-97                                                                               Media Processing Method and Apparatus (ART21)                   PO7980                                                                               15-Jul-97                                                                               Image Processing Method and Apparatus (ART22)                   PO7942                                                                               15-Jul-97                                                                               Image Processing Method and Apparatus (ART23)                   PO8018                                                                               15-Jul-97                                                                               Image Processing Method and Apparatus (ART24)                   PO7938                                                                               15-Jul-97                                                                               Image Processing Method and Apparatus (ART25)                   PO8016                                                                               15-Jul-97                                                                               Image Processing Method and Apparatus (ART26)                   PO8024                                                                               15-Jul-97                                                                               Image Processing Method and Apparatus (ART27)                   PO7940                                                                               15-Jul-97                                                                               Data Processing Method and Apparatus (ART28)                    PO7939                                                                               15-Jul-97                                                                               Data Processing Method and Apparatus (ART29)                    PO8501                                                                               11-Aug-97                                                                               Image Processing Method and Apparatus (ART30)                   PO8500                                                                               11-Aug-97                                                                               Image Processing Method and Apparatus (ART31)                   PO7987                                                                               15-Jul-97                                                                               Data Processing Method and Apparatus (ART32)                    PO8022                                                                               15-Jul-97                                                                               Image Processing Method and Apparatus (ART33)                   PO8497                                                                               11-Aug-97                                                                               Image Processing Method and Apparatus (ART30)                   PO8029                                                                               15-Jul-97                                                                               Sensor Creation Method and Apparatus (ART36)                    PO7985                                                                               15-Jul-97                                                                               Data Processing Method and Apparatus (ART37)                    PO8020                                                                               15-Jul-97                                                                               Data Processing Method and Apparatus (ART38)                    PO8023                                                                               15-Jul-97                                                                               Data Processing Method and Apparatus (ART39)                    PO9395                                                                               23-Sep-97                                                                               Data Processing Method and Apparatus (ART45)                    P98021                                                                               15-Jul-97                                                                               Data Processing Method and Apparatus (ART46)                    PO8504                                                                               11-Aug-97                                                                               Image Processing Method and Apparatus (ART42)                   PO8000                                                                               15-Jul-97                                                                               Data Processing Method and Apparatus (ART43)                    PO7977                                                                               15-Jul-97                                                                               Data Processing Method and Apparatus (ART44)                    PO7934                                                                               15-Jul-97                                                                               Data Processing Method and Apparatus (ART45)                    PO7990                                                                               15-Jul-97                                                                               Data Processing Method and Apparatus (ART46)                    PO8499                                                                               11-Aug-97                                                                               Image Processing Method and Apparatus (ART47)                   PO8502                                                                               11-Aug-97                                                                               Image Processing Method and Apparatus (ART48)                   PO7981                                                                               15-Jul-97                                                                               Data Processing Method and Apparatus (ART50)                    PO7986                                                                               15-Jul-97                                                                               Data Processing Method and Apparatus (ART51)                    PO7983                                                                               15-Jul-97                                                                               Data Processing Method and Apparatus (ART52)                    PO8026                                                                               15-Jul-97                                                                               Image Processing Method and Apparatus (ART53)                   PO8027                                                                               15-Jul-97                                                                               Image Processing Method and Apparatus (ART54)                   PO8028                                                                               15-Jul-97                                                                               Image Processing Method and Apparatus (ART56)                   PO9394                                                                               23-Sep-97                                                                               Image Processing Method and Apparatus (ART57)                   PO9396                                                                               23-Sep-97                                                                               Data Processing Method and Apparatus (ART58)                    PO9397                                                                               23-Sep-97                                                                               Data Processing Method and Apparatus (ART59)                    PO9398                                                                               23-Sep-97                                                                               Data Processing Method and Apparatus (ART60)                    PO9399                                                                               23-Sep-97                                                                               Data Prncessing Method and Apparatus (ART61)                    PO9400                                                                               23-Sep-97                                                                               Data Processing Method and Apparatus (ART62)                    PO9401                                                                               23-Sep-97                                                                               Data Processing Method and Apparatus (ART63)                    PO9402                                                                               23-Sep-97                                                                               Data Processing Method and Apparatus (ART64)                    PO9403                                                                               23-Sep-97                                                                               Data Processing Method and Apparatus (ART65)                    PO9405                                                                               23-Sep-97                                                                               Data Processing Method and Apparatus (ART66)                    PPO959                                                                               16-Dec-97                                                                               A Data Processing Method and Apparatus (ART68)                  PP1397                                                                               19-Jan-98                                                                               A Media Device (ART69)                                          ______________________________________                                     

We claim:
 1. An information storage apparatus for storing information on inserted cards said apparatus comprising:sensing means for sensing printed patterns on the surface stored on said card, said patterns arranged in a predetermined number of possible active areas of said card; decoding means for decoding said sensed printed patterns into corresponding data; printing means for printing dot patterns on said card in at least one of said active areas; positioning means for positioning said sensed card at known locations relative to said sensing means and said printing means; wherein said sensing means is adapted to sense the printed patterns in a current active printed area of said card, said decoding means is adapted to decode said sensed printed patterns into corresponding current data and, when said current: data requires updating, said printing means is adapted to print said updated current data at a new one of said active areas after activation of said positioning means for correctly position said card.
 2. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said printing means comprises an ink jet printer device.
 3. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said ink jet printer includes a card width print head able to print a line width of said card at a time.
 4. An apparatus as claimed in claim 2 wherein said positioning means comprises a series of pinch rollers to pinch said card and control the movement of said card.
 5. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said printed patterns are laid out in a fault tolerant manner and said decoding means includes a decoder for said fault tolerant pattern.
 6. An apparatus as claimed in claim 5 wherein said fault tolerant manner comprises Reed--Solomon encoding of said patterns and said decoding means includes a Reed--Solomon Decoder. 